Adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil, printed wiring board, and production method of printed wiring board

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to an adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil comprising a layer of an adhesion assisting agent containing an epoxy resin as an indispensable component on a metal, wherein the adhesion assisting agent layer has a thickness of 0.1 to 10 μm. The invention also relates to a printed wiring board being a multilayer wiring board having a plurality of layers, wherein an adhesion assisting agent layer is formed between insulating layers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to an adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil,a printed wiring board, and a production method of the printed wiringboard. The invention also relates to a multilayer circuit board, asemiconductor chip-mounting substrate, and a semiconductor packagesubstrate.

2. Description of the Related Art

Recently, electronic appliances have been required to be compact,lightweight and high speed, and high densification of printed wiringboards has advanced and in these years, therefore, production of aprinted wiring board by a semi-additive method using electroplating hasbeen drawing attention.

As a semi-additive method, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A)No. 10-4254 (application date: Jun. 14, 1996) discloses a methodinvolving forming holes to be IVH in the resin surface in which acircuit is to be formed by laser; surface-roughening the resin surfacewith several μm by chemical roughening or plasma treatment; supplying aPd catalyst; carrying out electroless plating in about 1 μm-thickness,forming a resist layer for pattern-wise electroplating, carrying outwiring formation by pattern-wise electroplating, and then removing theresist and power supply layer existing in the portion other than thecircuit. According to this method, finer wiring formation is madepossible as compared with a subtractive method with a high side etchingdegree. Further, JP-A No. 2003-158364 (application date: Nov. 22, 2001)discloses a separable metal foil with a thickness of 5 μm or thinnerformed on a supporting metal foil. The method disclosed therein makes itpossible to thin down the thickness of the metal foil. According to thismethod, since there is no need to carry out electroless plating on thesurface of an insulating resin layer, a printed wiring board with agreater reliability can be produced.

However, according to these methods, the roughened shape adverselyinterferes with the fine wiring formation and also the electricproperties are undesirably deteriorated due to the roughened shape.

JP-A No. 7-221444 (application date: Jan. 31, 1994) discloses a methodinvolving forming a copper layer with about 1 μm thickness on one faceof a polyimide film by using an electron beam evaporation apparatus andlaminating the layer on an inner layer circuit through an adhesive or aprepreg to form an electric power supply layer. Also, JP-A No. 6-302965(application date: Apr. 16, 1993) discloses a method of forming anelectric power supply layer on a dielectric layer by sputtering. It ispossible to significantly lessen the degree of the roughened shape byforming the electric power supply layer by a dry process such asevaporation and sputtering, disclosed methods as compared with theconventional methods.

However, if the resin is made smooth in those methods, it becomesdifficult to form a resin layer thereon. In other words, it becomesdifficult to form a built-up layer on a core substrate or to form asolder resist on a substrate. Especially, if the insulating layersurface roughness Rz is 2.0 μm or less, the resin layer formationthereon becomes very hard, although it depends on the insulating layer.Even if laminating seems to be done, the substrate is very poor inresistance to moisture absorption and heat resistance in many cases.Particularly, in these years, low dielectric resin layers having nofunctional group have been used frequently for insulating layers andsuch a tendency has been more significant.

As described, wiring boards with an excellent fine wiring formation andelectric properties and advantageous in terms of the production cost andhaving a high reliability and high frequency have not been madeavailable so far.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates the following embodiments.

-   (1) An adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil comprising a    layer of an adhesion assisting agent containing an epoxy resin as an    indispensable component on a metal, wherein the adhesion assisting    agent layer has a thickness of 0.1 to 10 μm.-   (2) The adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil according to    (1), wherein the resin containing an epoxy resin as an indispensable    component contains (A) an epoxy resin, (B) rubber particles, and (C)    an epoxy resin curing agent.-   (3) The adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil according to    (2), wherein the component (A) is a novolak epoxy resin or contains    a novolak epoxy resin.-   (4) The adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil according to    (3), wherein the component (A) has a biphenyl structure.-   (5) The adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil according to any    one of (2) to (4), wherein the component (B) is crosslinked rubber    particles.-   (6) The adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil according to any    one of (2) to (5), wherein the component (B) is at least one    substance selected from acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber particles,    carboxylic acid-modified acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber particles,    and butadiene rubber-acrylic resin core shell particles.-   (7) The adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil according to any    one of (2) to (6), wherein the component (B) is added in an amount    of 0.5 to 20 parts by weight to the component (A) 100 parts by    weight.-   (8) The adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil according to any    one of (2) to (7), wherein the component (C) is novolak phenol    resin.-   (9) The adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil according to any    one of (2) to (8), wherein the component (C) is a cresol novolak    phenol resin having a triazine ring.-   (10) The adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil according to    any one of (2) to (9), wherein the surface of the metal foil has a    ten-point average roughness Rz 2.0 μm or less.-   (11) The adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil according to    any one of (1) to (10), wherein the surface of the metal foil is not    subjected to roughening treatment for promotion of the adhesive    strength.-   (12) The adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil according to    any one of (1) to (11), wherein the metal foil is a copper foil    subjected to rust preventing treatment with at least one of zinc,    chromium, and nickel.-   (13) The adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil according to    any one of (1) to (12), wherein the surface of the metal foil is    subjected to silane coupling treatment with a silane coupling agent.-   (14) The adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil according to    (13), wherein the silane coupling agent has an epoxy group or an    amino group.-   (15) The adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil according to    any one of (1) to (14), wherein the metal foil has a thickness of 5    μm or thinner and has a separable carrier.-   (16) A printed wiring board produced using the adhesion assisting    agent-bearing metal foil according to any one of (1) to (15) and    having a peeling strength of 0.6 kN/m or higher at 20° C. between an    insulating layer formed through the adhesion assisting agent layer    of the adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil and a conductor    circuit with 1 mm width formed using the metal foil of the adhesion    assisting agent-bearing metal foil.-   (17) The printed wiring board according to (16), wherein the peeling    strength is 0.4 kN/m or higher at 20° C. between the insulating    layer and the conductor circuit after heating at 150° C. for 240    hours.-   (18) A production method of a printed wiring board comprising:    layering the adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil according    to (15) on an insulating layer in such a manner that the adhesion    assisting agent layer is set in the insulating layer side; forming    holes for interlayer connection; carrying out electroless copper    plating; forming a resist layer; forming a circuit by pattern-wise    electroplating; and removing the resist layer and unneeded portions    of an electric power supply layer by etching.-   (19) The production method of a printed wiring board according to    (18), wherein electroless gold plating is carried out in the    outermost layer of the wiring.-   (20) A printed wiring board being a multilayer wiring board having a    plurality of layers, wherein an adhesion assisting agent layer is    formed between insulating layers.-   (21) A printed wiring board comprising solder resist in the    outermost layer and an adhesion assisting agent layer between an    insulating layer and solder resist.-   (22) The printed wiring board according to (20) or (21), wherein the    thickness of the adhesion assisting agent layer is in a range of 0.1    to 10 μm.-   (23) The printed wiring board according to any one of (20) to (22),    wherein the adhesion assisting agent layer contains an epoxy resin    as an indispensable component.-   (24) The printed wiring board according to (23), wherein the resin    containing an epoxy resin as an indispensable component contains (A)    an epoxy resin, (B) rubber particles, and (C) an epoxy resin curing    agent.-   (25) The printed wiring board according to (23) or (24), wherein the    component (A) is a novolak epoxy resin or contains a novolak epoxy    resin.-   (26) The printed wiring board according to (24) or (25), wherein the    component (A) has a biphenyl structure.-   (27) The printed wiring board according to any one of (24) to (26),    wherein the component (B) is crosslinked rubber particles.-   (28) The printed wiring board according to any one of (24) to (27),    wherein the component (B) is at least one substance selected from    acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber particles, carboxylic acid-modified    acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber particles, and butadiene    rubber-acrylic resin core shell particles.-   (29) The printed wiring board according to any one of (24) to (28),    wherein the component (B) is added in an amount of 0.5 to 20 parts    by weight to the component (A) 100 parts by weight.-   (30) The printed wiring board according to any one of (24) to (29),    wherein the component (C) is a novolak phenol resin.-   (31) The printed wiring board according to any one of (24) to (30),    wherein the component (C) is a cresol novolak phenol resin having a    triazine ring.-   (32) The printed wiring board according to any one of (20) to (31),    wherein the adhesion assisting agent layer contains a polyamide    imide resin as an indispensable component.-   (33) The printed wiring board according to (32), wherein the    polyamide imide resin is a polyamide imide comprising a saturated    hydrocarbon as a unit component.-   (34) The printed wiring board according to (32) or (33), wherein a    curing component for crosslinking the polyamide imide by reaction is    added.

According to one embodiment of the invention, it is made possible toprovide a wiring board advantageous in the ultra fine wiring formation,electric properties, and production cost and having high reliability andexcellent high frequency properties.

Also, according to another embodiment of the invention, it is madepossible to provide a printed wiring board having improved resin-resinadhesion strength and excellent moisture absorption resistance and heatresistance.

Further, according to another embodiment of the invention, it is madepossible to provide a printed wiring board having improved resin-metaladhesion strength and excellent moisture absorption resistance and heatresistance.

The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained in JapanesePatent Application No. 2004-024456, filed on Jan. 30, 2004 and No.2004-116726, filed on Apr. 2, 2004, the disclosure of which is expresslyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating one example of theproduction process of a printed wiring board according to one embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a sample used in Example forconnection reliability evaluation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention will be described in detailwith reference to FIG. 1.

At first, a core substrate comprising two layers is produced. Theproduction method of the core substrate in the invention is notparticularly limited. The core substrate described here is a substratein which wiring to be an intermediate for producing a substrate isformed. The following description is one example of a method for formingultra fine wiring on the core substrate. The core substrate contains aninsulating layer and a metal layer. For producing the substrate,preferably a method for forming a laminate plate as shown in FIG. 1(a)having a metal foil 2 in both sides of a prepreg 1 is used, since it iseconomical.

The prepreg is produced by immersing or coating a substrate with a resincomposition. As the substrate, various types of well known substratesused for laminate plates for electric insulating materials may be used.

Examples of the materials for the substrate are inorganic fibers of suchas E glass, D glass, S glass or Q glass; organic fibers of such aspolyimides, polyesters, or tetrafluoroethylene; and their mixtures,however the materials are not limited to these examples. Thesesubstrates may be in any form such as woven fabrics, nonwoven fabrics,roving, chopped strand mats, surfacing mats and the like, however thematerials are not limited to these examples. The materials and the formsof the substrate may be selected suitably depending on the uses andfunctions of the aimed formed products. Further, if necessary, thosemade of one or more kinds of materials and having one or more forms maybe used. The thickness of the substrate is not particularly limited,however those with a thickness of about 0.03 to 0.5 mm may be used ingeneral. Those subjected to surface-treatment with a silane couplingagent or the like or to mechanical fibrillation are preferable in termsof the heat resistance, moisture resistance, and processibility.

As a resin composition, conventionally known resin compositions to beused as insulating materials for a printed wiring board may be used.Generally, a thermosetting resin excellent in heat resistance andchemical resistance may be used as a base. Examples of the thermosettingresin are phenol resins, epoxy resins, cyanate resins, maleimide resins,isocyanate resins, benzocyclobutene resins, and vinyl resins, howeverthe thermosetting resin is not limited to these examples. As thethermosetting resin, one kind of resins may be used alone or two kindsof resins may be mixed and used.

Among the thermosetting resins, the epoxy resins are widely used sincethey are excellent in heat resistance, chemical resistance, and electricproperties and relatively economical. Examples of the epoxy resins arebisphenol type epoxy resins such as bisphenol A type epoxy resin,bisphenol F type epoxy resin, and bisphenol S type epoxy resin; novolaktype epoxy resins such as phenol novolak type epoxy resin, cresolnovolak type epoxy resin, and bisphenol A novolak type epoxy resin;alicyclic epoxy resins; aliphatic chain epoxy resins; diglycidyl ethercompounds of bisphenol; diglycidyl ether compounds of naphthalene diol;diglycidyl ether compounds of phenol; diglycidyl ether compounds ofalcohols; and their alkyl-substituted compounds, halogenated compounds,and hydrogenated compounds, however the epoxy resins are not limited tothese examples. One kind of the epoxy resins may be used alone or two ormore kinds of the epoxy resins may be mixed and used. As a curing agentto be used together with the epoxy resins, any agents may be usedwithout particular limit if they can cure the epoxy resins. Examples ofthe curing agents are polyfunctional phenols, polyfunctional alcohols,amines, imidazole compounds, acid anhydrides, organic phosphoruscompounds and their halides, however the curing agents are not limitedto these examples. One kind of these epoxy resin curing agents may beused alone or two or more kinds may be mixed and used.

The cyanate ester resin is a thermosetting resin comprising triazinerings as repeating units and obtained by heating a cyanate compound. Theresin is used in the case excellent high frequency properties arerequired since the resin is excellent in the dielectric properties.Examples of the cyanate compound are cyanate ester compounds such as2,2-bis(4-cyanatophenyl)propane, bis(4-cyanatophenyl)ethane,2,2-bis(3,5-dimethyl-4-cyanatophenyl)methane,2,2-bis(4-cyanatophenyl)-1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoropropane,α,α′-bis(4-cyanatophenyl)-m-diisopropylbenzene, phenol novolak, andalkylphenol novolak, however the cyanate compound may not be limitedparticularly to these examples. Among them,2,2-bis(4-cyanatophenyl)propane is preferable since it is excellent inthe balance of the dielectric property of a cured product and curingproperty and is economically in terms of the cost. One kind of cyanateester compounds may be used alone or two or more kinds may be mixed andused. The cyanate ester compound to be used here may be oligomeratedpartially into trimers and pentamers. A curing catalyst and a curingpromoter may be added to the cyanate compound for curing. Examples ofthe curing catalyst may be metals such as manganese, iron, cobalt,nickel, copper, zinc and the like, however the catalyst may not belimited to these examples. Practical examples are organometal salts suchas 2-ethylhexanates, naphthanates, and octylates; and organometalcomplexes such as acetylacetone complexes, however the catalyst may notbe limited to these examples. They may be use alone or two or more kindsof them may be mixed and used. As a curing promoter, well known curingpromoters may be used, however, phenols are preferable. Practically,examples are monofunctional phenols such as nonylphenyl andp-cumylphenyl; bifunctional phenols such as bisphenol A, bisphenol F,and bisphenol S; and polyfunctional phenol such as phenol novolak andcresol novolak, however it is not limited to these examples. They may beused alone or two or more kinds of them may be mixed and used.

In consideration of the dielectric properties, impact resistance, andfilm formability, the resin composition may be blended with athermoplastic resin. Examples of the thermoplastic resin are fluororesins, polyphenylene ethers, modified polyphenylene ethers,polyphenylene sulfides, polycarbonates, polyether imides, polyetherether ketones, polyallylates, polyamides, polyamide imides,polybutadienes, however the thermoplastic resin is not limited to theseexamples The thermoplastic resins may be used alone or two or more typesof them may be mixed and used.

Among the thermoplastic resins, in the case of adding polyphenyleneethers and modified polyphenylene ethers, the dielectric properties ofcured materials are improved and therefore they are useful. Examples ofthe polyphenylene ethers and modified polyphenylene ethers arepoly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene) ether, alloyed polymers ofpoly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene) ether and polystyrene, alloyed polymersof poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene) ether and styrene-butadienecopolymers, alloyed polymers of poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene) etherand styrene-maleic anhydride copolymers, alloyed polymers ofpoly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene) ether and polyamides, and alloyedpolymers of poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene) ether andstyrene-butadiene-acrylonitrile copolymers, however they are not limitedto these examples. Further, to provide reactivity and polymerizabilityto the polyphenylene ethers, functional groups such as amino, epoxygroup, carboxyl, styryl, and methacryl may be introduced into polymerterminals or functional groups such as amino, epoxy group, carboxyl,styryl, and methacryl may be introduced into the polymer side chains.

Among the thermoplastic resins, polyamide imide resins are excellent inheat resistance, moisture resistance and adhesive to metal and thereforeuseful. Raw materials of the polyamide imide resins include acidiccomponents and amine components. Examples of the acid components aretrimellitic anhydride and trimellitic anhydride monochloride, howeverthe components are not limited to these examples. Examples of the aminecomponents are m-phenylenediamine, p-phenylenediamine,4,4′-diaminodiphenyl ether, 4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane,bis[4-(aminophenoxy)phenyl]sulfone,2,2′-bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]propane, however the amine componentsare not limited to these examples. To improve the drying property,polyimide amide resins may be modified with siloxane. In such as case,siloxane diamine is used as the amino components. In consideration ofthe processibility, it is preferable to use polyimide amide resinshaving a molecular weight of 50,000 or more.

The resin composition may contain inorganic filler. Examples of theinorganic filler are alumina, aluminum hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide,clay, talc, antimony trioxide, antimony pentoxide, zinc oxide, fusedsilica, glass powder, quartz powder, and shirasu balloon, however theinorganic filler may not be limited to the examples. These inorganicfillers may be used alone or two or more of them may be mixed and used.

The resin composition may contain an organic solvent. Examples of theorganic solvent are aromatic hydrocarbons solvents such as benzene,toluene, xylene, and trimethylbenzene; ketone type solvents methyl ethylketone and methyl isobutyl ketone; ether type solvents such astetrahydrofuran; alcohol type solvents such as isopropanol and butanol;ether alcohol type solvents such as 2-methoxyethanol, and2-butoxyethanol; and amido type solvents such as N-methylpyrrolidone,N,N-dimethylformamide, and N, N-dimethylacetamide, however the organicsolvent may not be limited to these examples and these solvents may beused properly in combination. The solvent amount in a varnish in thecase of producing a prepreg is preferably in a range of 40 to 80% byweight and the viscosity of the varnish is preferably in a range of 20to 100 cP.

The resin composition may contain a flame retardant. Examples to be usedas the flame retardant are conventionally known flame retardants such asbromo compounds such as decabromodiphenyl ether, tetrabromobisphenol A,tetrabromophthalic anhydride, and tribromophenol; phosphorus compoundssuch as triphenyl phosphate, tricresyl phosphate, trixylyl phosphate,cresyldiphenyl phosphate; metal hydroxides such as magnesium hydroxideand aluminum hydroxide; red phosphorus and its modified products;antimony compounds such as antimony trioxide and antimony pentoxide; andtriazine compounds such as melamine, cyanuric acid, melamine cyanurate,however the flame retardant is not limited to these examples.

Further, if necessary, various kinds of additives and fillers such as acuring agent, a curing promoting agent, thermoplastic particles, acoloring agent, a UV impermeable agent, an antioxidant, and a reducingagent may be added to the resin composition in the production.

In general, the substrate is impregnated in or coated with the resincomposition in an adhesion amount of the composition to the substrateadjusted so as to be 20 to 90% by weight on the basis of resin contentin the prepreg after drying and then the resin composition is driedgenerally at 100 to 200° C. for 1 to 30 minutes to obtain a prepreg insemi-cured state (in B stage state). One to twenty sheets of suchprepreg are laminated; metal foils are attached to both faces and thenthe entire body of the resulting laminate is pressurized while beingheated. Conventional laminate plate production technique may be employedfor the forming conditions. For example, multi-step pressing,multi-press vacuum pressing, continuous forming, autoclave formationapparatus may be used for the formation. The formation may be carriedout in conditions of 100 to 250° C. temperature, 2 to 100 kg/cm²pressure, and 0.1 to 5 hour heating. Also, using a vacuum laminationapparatus, the formation may be carried out in laminating conditions of50 to 150° C. temperature and 0.1 to 5 MPa vacuum or atmosphericpressure. The thickness of the prepreg layer to be an insulating layermay differ depending on the uses, however it is generally preferably 0.1to 5.0 mm.

Preferably, both faces of the metal foils to be used for the inventionhave 2.0 μm or less ten-point mean surface roughness (Rz) defined in JISB 0601 in view of electric property. As a metal foil, copper foils,nickel foils and aluminum foils may be used, however, copper foils aregenerally used. The production conditions of the copper foils arecommonly sulfuric acid 50 to 100 g/L, copper 30 to 100 g/L, solutiontemperature 20 to 80° C., and current density 0.5 to 100 A/dm² in thecase of a copper sulfate bath and potassium pyrophosphate 100 to 700g/L, copper 10 to 50 g/L, solution temperature 30 to 60° C., pH 8 to 12,and current density 1 to 10 A/dm² in the case of a copper pyrophosphatebath. Various kinds of additives may be added in consideration of thephysical properties and smoothness of copper. Generally, rougheningtreatment is carried out on the surface of a copper foil, however, noroughing treatment is carried out substantially in an embodiments of theinvention. Therefore, the unevenness of the metal foil is slight.Therefore, it is advantageous since the copper foils do not remain whenthe metal foils formed on the resin layer are removed by etching.

Further, the foils to be used preferably are peelable type metal foilswith a thickness of 5 μm or thinner, more preferably 3 μm or thinner anda surface roughness Rz of 2.0 μm or less. The peelable type metal foilsare those having a carrier and the carrier is separable. For example, inthe case of peelable type ultra thin copper foils, a metal oxide or anorganic layer to be a peeling layer is formed on a carrier foil with athickness of 10 to 50 μm and metal foils may be formed under theconditions of sulfuric acid 50 to 100 g/L, copper 30 to 100 g/L,solution temperature 20 to 80° C., and current density 0.5 to 100 A/dm²in the case of a copper sulfate bath. Also, the metal foils with athickness of 0.3 to 3.0 μm may be formed under the conditions ofpotassium pyrophosphate 100 to 700 g/L, copper 10 to 50 g/L, solutiontemperature 30 to 60° C., pH 8 to 12, and current density 1 to 10 A/dm²in the case of a copper pyrophosphate bath. In the case of using suchfoils as electric power supply layers, the wiring formability isexcellent as it will be described later. In place of the peelable typefoils, etchable type copper foils having an aluminum carrier or a nickelcarrier may be used.

The anti-rust treatment for the faces of the metal foils to be stuck toa resin may be carried out by using nickel, tin, zinc, chromium,molybdenum, cobalt or their alloys. It is preferable to selected atleast one of nickel, zinc or chromium. Thin film formation on the metalfoils is carried out by using the metal or alloys by sputtering,electroplating, or electroless plating. Among them, in terms of thecost, electroplating is preferable. Practically, plating is carried outby using a plating solution containing one or more salts of theabove-exemplified metals to form the plating layer. In view ofreliability, it is preferably to use a plating solution containing zinc.A complexing agent such as a citric acid salt, tartaric acid salt,sulfamic acid may be added to make metal ion precipitation easy. Theplating solution is generally used in an acidic region and plating iscarried out at a room temperature to 80° C. Generally, the plating iscarried out under the conditions suitably selected form 0.1 to 10 A/dm²for the current density and 1 to 60 seconds, preferably 1 to 30 secondsfor the current application period. The deposition amount of theanti-rust treatment metal differs depending on the metal type, howeverit is preferably 10 to 2,000 μg/dm² in total. If the thickness of theanti-rust treatment is too thick, it results in etching inhibition andelectric property deterioration and if the thickness is too thin, itresults in decrease of the peel strength to the resin.

Further, if a chromate treatment layer is formed on the anti-rusttreatment layer, decrease of the peel strength to the resin issuppressed and therefore, it is advantageous. Practically, the treatmentis carried out by using an aqueous solution containing hexavalentchromium ion. The chromate treatment can be carried out by simpledipping treatment, however cathode treatment is carried out preferably.The treatment may be carried out preferably under the conditions ofsodium dichromate 0.1 to 50 g/L, pH 1 to 13, bath temperature 0 to 60°C., current density 0.1 to 5 A/dm², and electrolytic period 0.1 to 100seconds. Chromic acid or potassium dichromate may be used in place ofsodium dichromate.

In the invention, it is preferable that a silane coupling agent isadsorbed in the outermost layers of the metal foils. Examples of thesilane coupling agent are epoxy functional silanes such as3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane and2-(3,4-epoxycyclohexylethyltrimethoxysilane; amino functional silanessuch as 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane,N-2-(aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, andN-2-(aminoethyl)-3-aminopropylmethyldimethoxysilane; olefin functionalsilanes such as vinyltrimethoxysilane, vinylphenyltrimethoxysilane, andvinyltris(2-methoxyethoxy)silane; acrylic functional silanes such as3-acryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane; methacrylic functional silanes such as3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane; and mercapto functional silanessuch as 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane. In view of the combinationwith adhesion assiting agent, a silane coupling agent preferably has anepoxy group or amino group in the molecule. They may be used alone or aplurality of the silanes may be mixed and used. These coupling agentsmay be dissolved in a solvent in a concentration of 0.1 to 15 g/L andapplied to the metal foils at a room temperature to 50° C. orelectrodeposited for the adsorption. These silane coupling agents form acoating by forming condensation bonding with the hydroxyl groups of theanti-rust metal on the metal foil surface. Stable bonds can be formed byheating or UR radiation after the silane coupling agent treatment. Inthe case of heating, the silane coupling treatment is dried at 100 to200° C. for 2 to 60 second. In the case of UV radiation, the radiationis carried out with 200 to 400 nm wavelength and 200 to 2,500 mJ/cm²intensity.

The adhesion assisting agent containing an epoxy resin as anindispensable component is applied to the copper foil subjected totreatment with a silane coupling agent. The thickness of the coating ofthe adhesion assisting agent is preferably 0.1 to 10 μm and morepreferably 0.1 to 5.0 μm.

The adhesion assisting agent of the invention is preferably contains (A)an epoxy resin, (B) rubber particles, and (C) an epoxy resin curingagent.

The component (A) is preferably a novolak type epoxy resin alone orcontain another component (A) besides a novolak type epoxy resin.

The novolak type epoxy resin in the invention is preferably a novolaktype epoxy resin having a biphenyl structure. The novolak type epoxyresin having a biphenyl structure means a novolak type epoxy resinhaving an aromatic ring of a biphenyl derivative in the molecule and maybe the resin defined by the following Formula (1). The resin may be usedalone or two or more of such resins may be used in combination.

wherein p denotes 1 to 5.

As commercialized products, NC-3000S (epoxy resin defined by Formula (1)of which the average value of p is 1.7) and NC-3000S-H (epoxy resindefined by Formula (1) of which the average value of p is 2.8)manufactured by Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd. can be exemplified.

The component (B) is preferably crosslinked rubber particles and maypreferably be at least one substance selected fromacrylonitrile-butadiene rubber particles, carboxylic acid-modifiedacrylonitrile-butadiene rubber particles, and butadiene rubber-acrylicresin core shell particles.

The acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber particles may be obtained bycopolymerizing acrylonitrile and butadiene and carrying out partialcrosslinking and granulation in the process of the copolymerization. Thecarboxylic acid-modified acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber particles mayalso be obtained by carrying out the copolymerization in the presence ofcarboxylic acid such as acrylic acid and methacrylic acid additionally.The butadiene rubber-acrylic resin core shell particles can be obtainedby a two-step polymerization method by polymerizing butadiene particlesby emulsion polymerization and successively continuing polymerization byadding monomers such as acrylic acid esters and acrylic acid. The sizeof the particles may be adjusted to be 50 nm to 1 μm on the basis of theaverage primary particle diameter. They may be used alone or two or moretypes of the particles may be used in combination.

As a commercialized product of the carboxylic acid-modifiedacrylonitrile-butadiene rubber particles, XER-91 manufactured by JSRCo., Ltd. is available. As the commercialized products of the butadienerubber-acrylic resin core shell particles, EXL-2655 manufactured byKureha Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. and AC-3832 manufactured by TakedaPharmaceutical Co., Ltd. are available.

It is preferable that the component (B) is contained in an amount of 0.5to 20 parts by weight to the component (A) 100 parts by weight.

The component (C) is preferably a novolak type phenol resin and morepreferably a cresol novolak type phenol resin having a triazine ring.

The cresol novolak type phenol resin having a triazine ring in theinvention includes cresol novolak type phenol resins having triazinerings in the main chains of the cresol novolak type phenol resins. Thenitrogen content in the cresol novolak type phenol resin having atriazine ring is preferably 12 to 22% by weight, more preferably 17 to19% by weight, even more preferably 18% by weight. If the nitrogencontent in the molecule is in the range, the dielectric loss is not sohigh and in the case of using the adhesion assisting agent as a varnish,the solubility in a solvent becomes suitable to suppress the amount ofun-dissolved remaining. Those having a number average molecular weightof 500 to 600 may be used as the cresol novolak type phenol resin havinga triazine ring. The cresol novolak type phenol resin having a triazinering may be used alone or two or more types of such resins may be usedin combination.

The cresol novolak type phenol resin having a triazine ring can beobtained by reaction of cresol, aldehyde, and a triazine ring-containingcompound at pH 5 to 9. Any of o-, m-, and p-cresol isomers may be usedas the cresol. Melamine, guanamine and its derivatives, and cyanuricacid and its derivative may be used as the triazine ring-containingcompound.

As a commercialized product, triazine ring-containing cresol novolaktype phenol resin Phenolite EXB-9829 (nitrogen content 18% by weight)manufactured by Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, Inc. is available.

To improve the flame retardancy, (D) a phenolic hydroxyl-containingphosphorus compound may be added to the adhesion assisting agent.

The phenolic hydroxyl-containing phosphorus compound (D) may becompounds defined by the following Formula (2). They may be used aloneor two or more in a combination.

wherein in the case n is 1, the substituent R₄ denotes a hydrogen atom,a straight chain or branched alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group, an arylgroup or an aralkyl group; in the case n is 2, the respectivesubstituents R₄ independently denote a hydrogen atom, a straight chainor branched alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group, an aryl group or an aralkylgroup or may be bonded each other together with the bonded carbon atomsto form an unsubstituted or alkyl- or cycloalkyl-substituted benzenering; and x is a natural number of 2 or higher.

In the case R₄ denotes a straight chain or branched alkyl in Formula(2), C₁ to C₆ alkyl groups are preferable and in the case of acycloalkyl group, C₆ to C₈ cycloalkyl groups are preferable. In the caseof an aryl group, phenyl group is preferable and in the case of anaralkyl, C₇ to C₁₀ aralkyl groups are preferable. The x is preferably 2.In the case n is 2 in Formula (2) and the respective two substituents R₄are bonded each other together with the bonded carbon atoms to form anunsubstituted or alkyl- or cycloalkyl-substituted benzene ring, abenzene ring unsubstituted or substituted with C₁ to C₄ alkyl groups orC₆ to C₈ cycloalkyl groups is preferable.

Practically, the phenolic hydroxyl-containing phosphorus compound (D)may be the compound defined by the following Formula (3) or Formula (4).

wherein R₅ denotes a hydrogen atom, methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl,n-butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl group, or cyclohexyl group.

As the phenolic hydroxyl-containing phosphorus compound (D),10-(2,5-dihydroxyphenyl)-9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxideand its derivative are preferable.

As a commercialized product of the phenolic hydroxyl-containingphosphorus compound (D), HCA-HQ manufactured by Sanko Co., Ltd. isavailable.

To improve the reliability, the adhesion assisting agent in theinvention may contain (E) an inorganic filler.

The inorganic filler (E) in the invention is not particularly limitedand silica, fused silica, talc, alumina, aluminum hydroxide, bariumsulfate, calcium hydroxide, aerosil, and calcium carbonate can beexemplified. For the purpose of improving the dispersibility, theinorganic filler includes those treated with various coupling agentssuch as silane coupling agents. They may be used alone or two or more ofthem may be used in combination. In terms of the dielectric property andlow thermal expansion, silica is preferable.

The addition amount of epoxy resin (A) in the adhesion assisting agentin the invention is preferably in a range of 69 to 94% by weight, morepreferably 78 to 90% by weight, in the total weight of the components(A) to (C). If the addition amount is in the range, the heat resistancefor welding is high and the fluidity is suitable at the time ofapplication of the adhesion assisting agent to a copper foil to preventuneven surface formation in a cured coating film.

The addition amount of the rubber particles (B) in the adhesionassisting agent in the invention is preferably 0.5% by weight or more,more preferably in a range of 1 to 20% by weight, furthermore preferably2% by weight or more, even more preferably in a range of 3 to 13% byweight and even more preferably 4 to 8% by weight in the total weight ofthe components (A) to (C). If the addition amount is in the range, theappearance of the coating film is good before and after drying in thecase of application of the adhesion assisting agent to a copper foil andthe problems of unevenness owing to roughening and insufficientinsulation reliability hardly occur.

The addition amount of epoxy resin curing agent (C) in the adhesionassisting agent in the invention is preferably in a range of 5 to 19% byweight, more preferably 6 to 11% by weight, in the total weight of thecomponents (A) to (C). If the addition amount is in the range, asufficient adhesive strength to a conductive layer without rougheningand dielectric loss occurs, and thermal expansion coefficient andelongation in a cured coating film is desirable and the problems ofdisconnection and dielectric loss deterioration hardly occur.

In the case of providing flame retardancy, the addition amount ofphenolic hydroxyl-containing phosphorus compound (D) in the adhesionassisting agent in the invention is preferably in a range of 1.5 to 2.5%by weight, more preferably 1.8 to 2.2% by weight on the basis of aphosphorus atom, in the total weight of the components (A) to (C). Ifthe addition amount is in the range, the flame retardancy is good, theinsulation reliability is excellent, and the Tg of a cured coating filmis prevented from decreasing too much.

In the adhesion assisting agent in the invention, the ratio (the numberof hydroxyl group/the number of epoxy group) of the number of totalhydroxyl groups of the components (C) and (D) to the number of epoxygroups of the component (A) is preferably in a range of 0.6 to 1.3, morepreferably 0.75 to 1.25. If the ratio is in the range, the hardness issufficient and dielectric loss and thermal expansion coefficient of acured coating film can be suppressed and also sufficient elongation ofthe coating film can be obtained. Further, proper roughening is madepossible and accordingly, a sufficient adhesion strength to a conductivelayer can be obtained.

Also, in the adhesion assisting agent in the invention, the ratio (thenumber of hydroxyl group/the number of epoxy group) of the number ofhydroxyl groups of the component (C) to the number of epoxy groups ofthe component (A) is preferably in a range of 0.15 to 0.50, morepreferably 0.17 to 0.30. If the ratio is in the range, sufficientelongation of the coating film can be obtained and the problem ofinsufficient adhesive strength to the conductive layer can be avoided.

In the case of using the inorganic filler (E) for improving thereliability, the addition amount of inorganic filler (E) is preferablyin a range of 5 to 35% by volume, more preferably 10 to 30% by volume,in the total weight of the components (A) to (E). If the addition amountis in the range, the thermal expansion coefficient and dielectric lossincrease can be prevented and sufficient flow can be obtained in thecase of forming an insulating layer in an inner layer circuit.Additionally, if the inorganic filler is dispersed in the adhesionassisting agent in the invention, for example, a known kneading methodusing a kneader, a ball mill, a bead mill, and three rolls can beemployed.

The adhesion assisting agent of the invention may further contain avariety of imidazoles and BF₃ amine complexes, which are latentthermosetting agent, as reaction promoters. In terms of the storagestability, handling easiness in B-stage, and heat resistance for weldingof the adhesion assisting agent, 2-phenylimidazole,2-ethyl-4-methylimidazole, and 1-cyanoethyl-2-phenylimidazoliumtrimellitate are preferable. The addition amount of them is preferablyin a range of 0.2 to 0.6% by weight to the epoxy resin (A). If it is inthe range, sufficiently high heat resistance to welding, good storagestability of the adhesion assisting agent, and easy handling in theB-stage can be obtained.

The adhesion assisting agent of the invention may be mixed withadditives such as a pigment, a leveling agent, a defoaming agent, and anion trapping agent if necessity.

Other than the above-mentioned adhesion assisting agent containing theepoxy resin as an indispensable component, an adhesion assisting agentcontaining a polyamide imide resin as an indispensable component may beused.

As a production method of polyamide imide, an isocyanate methodinvolving reaction of trimellitic anhydride and aromatic diisocyanate isknown. As a practical application example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,897,186discloses a method of causing a reaction of an aromatic tricarboxylicacid anhydride and a diamine having an ether bond in diamine excesscondition and then causing a reaction of the reaction product withdiisocyanate. JP-A No. 04-182466 discloses a method of causing areaction of an aromatic diamine and trimellitic anhydride.

In recent years, to try to improve the properties such as elasticity,flexibility, and drying efficiency, siloxane structure was introducedinto the polyamide imide. Such a polyamide imide can be produced also bythe isocyanate method. JP-A No. 04-182466 discloses a method of causingcondensation polymerization of an aromatic tricarboxylic acid anhydride,an aromatic diisocyanate, and siloxanediamine. Also, JP-A No. 06-116517discloses a method of causing condensation polymerization of an aromaticdicarboxylic acid or an aromatic tricarboxylic acid withsiloxanediamine. Further, JP-A No. 11-130831 discloses a method ofcausing a reaction of a mixture containing diamine having 3 or morearomatic rings and siloxanediamine with trimellitic anhydride to obtaina mixture containing diimidodicarboxylic acid, and causing reaction ofan aromatic diisocyanate with the obtained mixture.

The subject matter of the mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 2,897,186, JP-A Nos.04-182466, 06-116517 and 11-130831 are hereby incorporated herein byreference.

Sufficient adhesion strength can be obtained by the above-mentionedmethod and use of polyamide imide comprising a saturated hydrocarbon asa unit component and therefore having high moisture absorptionresistance and heat resistance is preferable in terms of thereliability.

The polyamide imide to be used in the invention is characterized in thatit comprises a saturated hydrocarbon as a unit component and analicyclic hydrocarbon group is desirable for the unit component. Thepolyamide imide is further provided with a high Tg in addition to thehigh moisture absorption resistance and heat resistance owing to theexistence of the alicyclic hydrocarbon group.

The saturated hydrocarbon component comprising the alicyclic hydrocarbongroup may be derived from a diamine compound comprising a saturatedhydrocarbon having an alicyclic hydrocarbon group as a raw material.

Such a diamine is defined by the following general formula (4a) or (4b).

In the formula, X¹ represents an aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 1 to3 carbon atoms, a halo aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 1 to 3 carbonatoms, sulfonyl, an ether group, carbonyl, a single bond, or a divalentgroup defined by the following general formula (5a) or (5b); Y¹represents an aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, ahalo aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, sulfonyl,an ether group, or carbonyl; R¹, R², and R³ may be same or differentfrom one another and independently represent a hydrogen atom, hydroxyl,methoxy group, methyl, or a halo methyl:

wherein Z¹ represents an aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 1 to 3carbon atoms, a halo aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 1 to 3 carbonatoms, sulfonyl, an ether group, carbonyl, or a single bond.

Examples of the diamine compound comprising a saturated hydrocarbonhaving an alicyclic hydrocarbon group are2,2-bis[4-(4-aminocyclohexyloxy)cyclohexyl]propane,bis[4-(3-aminocyclohexyloxy)cyclohexyl]sulfone,bis[4-(4-aminocyclohexyloxy)cyclohexyl]sulfone,2,2-bis[4-(4-aminocyclohexyloxy)cyclohexyl]hexafluoropropane,bis[4-(4-aminocyclohexyloxy)cyclohexyl]methane,4,4′-bis(4-aminocyclohexyloxy)dicyclohexyl,bis[4-(4-aminocyclohexyloxy)cyclohexyl]ether,bis[4-(4-aminocyclohexyloxy)cyclohexyl]ketone,1,3-bis(4-aminocyclohexyloxy)benzene,1,4-bis(4-aminocyclohexyloxy)benzene,2,2′-dimethylbicyclohexyl-4,4′-diamine,2,2′-bis(trifluoromethyl)dicyclohexyl-4,4′-diamine,2,6,2′,6′-tetramethyl-4,4′-diamine,5,5′-dimethyl-2,2′-sulfonyl-dicyclohexyl-4,4′-diamine,3,3′-dihydroxydicyclohexyl-4,4′-diamine, (4,4′-diamino)dicyclohexylether, (4,4′-diamino)dicyclohexylsulfone,(4,4′-diaminocyclohexyl)ketone, (3,3′-diamino)benzophenone,(4,4′-diamino)dicyclohexylmethane, (4,4′-diamino)dicyclohexyl ether,(3,3′-diamino)dicyclohexyl ether, (4,4′-diamino)dicyclohexylmethane,(3,3′-diamino)dicyclohexyl ether, and 2,2-bis(4-aminocyclohexyl)propane,however the diamine compound is not limited to these examples. Two ormore kinds of these diamine compounds may be mixed and used and further,other diamine compounds may be used in combination.

Such a diamine compound comprising a saturated hydrocarbon having analicyclic hydrocarbon group is easily produced by hydrogen to reduce anaromatic diamine compound.

Examples of such an aromatic diamine compound are2,2-bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]propane (BAPP),bis[4-(3-aminophenoxy)phenyl]sulfone,bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]sulfone,2,2-bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]hexafluoropropane,bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]methane, 4,4′-bis(4-aminophenoxy)diphenyl,bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]ether, bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]ketone,1,3-bis(4-aminophenoxy)benzene, 1,4-bis(4-aminophenoxy)benzene,2,2′-dimethylbiphenyl-4,4′-diamine,2,2′-bis(trifluoromethyl)diphenyl-4,4′-diamine,2,6,2′,6′-tetramethyl-4,4′-diamine,5,5′-dimethyl-2,2′-sulfonyl-biphenyl-4.4′-diamine,3,3′-dihydroxydiphenyl-4,4′-diamine, (4,4′-diamino)diphenyl ether,(4,4′-diamino)diphenylsulfone, (4,4′-diamino)benzophenone,(3,3′-diamino)benzophenone, (4,4′-diamino)diphenylmethane,(4,4′-diamino)diphenyl ether, and (3,3′-diamino)diphenyl ether, however,the aromatic diamine compound is not limited to these examples.

Hydrogen reduction of the aromatic diamine compound is carried out by ageneral reduction method of an aromatic ring. Practically, examples ofthe method are methods using catalyst systems such as Raney Nikkel andplatinum oxide in the presence of hydrogen (D. Varech et al, TetrahedronLetter 26, 61(1985); R. H. Baker et al, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 69,1250(1947)); rhodium-aluminum oxide (J. C. Sircar et al, J. Org. Chem.,30, 3206(1965); A. I. Meyers et al, Organic Synthesis Collective VolumeVI, 371(1988); A. W. Burgstahler, Organic Synthesis Collective Volume V,591(1973); A. J. Briggs, synthesis, 1988, 66); rhodium oxide-platinumoxide (S. Nishimura, Bull, Chem. Soc. Jpn., 34, 32(1961); E. J. Corey etal, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 101, 1608(1979)); charcoal carrying rhodium (K.Chebaane et al, Bull. Soc. Chim. Fr., 1975, 244) and sodium boronhydride-rhodium chloride system (P. G. Gassman et al, Organic SynthesisCollective Volume VI, 581 (1988); P. G. Gassman et al, Organic SynthesisCollective Volume VI, 601 (1988)), however the method is not limited tothese exemplified methods.

In addition to the above-mentioned diamine compound as the aliphaticdiamine compound, a compound defined by the following general formula(4) may be used in the polyamide imide and its production method of theinvention.

In the formula, X³ represents methylene group, sulfonyl, an ether group,carbonyl, or a single bond; R¹² and R¹³ independently represent ahydrogen atom, an alkyl, phenyl, or a substituted phenyl; and qrepresents an integer of 1 to 50.

Practical examples for R¹² and R¹³ are preferably a hydrogen atom, analkyl with 1 to 3 carbon atoms, phenyl, and a substituted phenyl. As thesubstituent group to be bonded to the phenyl, an alkyl with 1 to 3carbon atoms and halogen atoms can be exemplified.

With respect to the aliphatic diamine defined by the above-mentionedgeneral formula (6), X³ in the formula (6) is preferably an ether groupin terms of the low modulus of elasticity and high Tg. Examples of suchan aliphatic diamine are Jeffamine D-400 and Jeffamine D-200manufactured by Huntsman LLC, however it is not limited to theseexamples.

It is supposed that the polyamide imide having the above-mentionedaliphatic structure is provided with extremely high water absorbingability and water-shedding property as compared with a conventionalpolyamide imide. Accordingly, in the case the polyamide imide comprisingthe saturated hydrocarbon containing the alicyclic hydrocarbon group isused for a thermosetting resin composition, which will be describedlater, as the layer formation material of a laminate, the decrease ofthe adhesion strength at the time of absorbing moisture is suppressed ascompared with that in the case of using a polyamide imide compositioncontaining aromatic composition before the hydrogen reduction.

In the polyamide imide and the production method of the invention, inaddition to the above-exemplified diamine compounds as the diaminecompound, an aromatic diamine may further be added.

Examples of such an aromatic diamine compound are those defined by thefollowing general formula (7a) or the following general formula (7b).

In the above-mentioned general formula (7a), X² represents an aliphatichydrocarbon group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, a halo aliphatichydrocarbon group having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, sulfonyl, an ether group,carbonyl, a single bond, or a divalent group defined by the followinggeneral formula (8a) or (8b); R¹⁴, R¹⁵, and R¹⁶ may be same or differentfrom one another and independently represent a hydrogen atom, hydroxyl,methoxy group, methyl, or a halo methyl: and in the above-mentionedgeneral formula (7b), Y² represents an aliphatic hydrocarbon grouphaving 1 to 3 carbon atoms, a halo aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 1to 3 carbon atoms, sulfonyl, an ether group, or carbonyl;

wherein Z² represents an aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 1 to 3carbon atoms, a halo aliphatic hydrocarbon group having 1 to 3 carbonatoms, sulfonyl, an ether group, carbonyl, or a single bond.

As the above-mentioned aromatic diamine, compounds comprising aromaticring system to which two amino groups are directly bonded and diaminesto which two or more aromatic rings are directly or through onefunctional group bonded can be exemplified without any particular limit.Practical examples of the diamine are2,2-bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]propane (BAPP),bis[4-(3-aminophenoxy)phenyl]sulfone,bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]sulfone,2,2-bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]hexafluoropropane,bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]methane, 4,4′-bis(4-aminophenoxy)diphenyl,bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]ether, bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]ketone,1,3-bis(4-aminophenoxy)benzene, 1,4-bis(4-aminophenoxy)benzene,2,2′-dimethylbiphenyl-4,4′-diamine,2,2′-bis(trifluoromethyl)biphenyl-4,4′-diamine,2,6,2′,6′-tetramethyl-4,4′-diamine,5,5′-dimethyl-2,2′-sulfonyl-biphenyl-4.4′-diamine,3,3′-dihydroxydiphenyl-4,4′-diamine, (4,4′-diamino)diphenyl ether,(4,4′-diamino)diphenylsulfone, (4,4′-diaminophenyl)benzophenone,(3,3′-diamino)benzophenone, (4,4′-diamino)diphenylmethane,(4,4′-diamino)diphenyl ether, and (3,3′-diamino)diphenyl ether, however,the aromatic diamine compound is not limited to these examples. Two ofmore kinds of these aromatic diamine compounds may be mixed and used.

Use of the above-mentioned aromatic diamine compounds further increasesTg and improves the heat resistance.

In the polyamide imide and its production method of the invention, inaddition to the above-exemplified diamine compounds as the diaminecompound, a siloxane diamine defined by the general formula (9) may befurther contained.

In the general formula (9), R⁴ to R⁹ independently represent preferablyan alkyl having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, phenyl, or a substituted phenyl. Asthe substituent group of the substituted phenyl, an alkyl having 1 to 3carbon atoms or a halogen atom is preferable. R¹⁰ to R¹¹ independentlyrepresent preferably an alkylene having 1 to 6 carbon atoms or anarylene group. As the arylene group, phenylene, substituted phenylene,naphthalene, or substituted naphthalene is preferable. As thesubstituent group of the substituted arylene, an alkyl having 1 to 3carbon atoms or a halogen atom is preferable. Additionally, R⁴ to R¹¹which respectively exist in plural number may be the same or differentfrom one another. The r and s may be an integer selected from 1 to 15,respectively. As such a siloxanediamine, dimethylsiloxane-terminateddiamines are particularly preferable. These siloxanediamines may be usedalone or in combinations. Examples of the siloxanediamine defined by theabove-mentioned general formula (9) are Silicone Oil X-22-161AS (amineequivalent 450), X-22-161A (amine equivalent 840), X-22-161B (amineequivalent 1,500), X-22-9409 (amine equivalent 700), X-22-1660B-3 (amineequivalent 2,200) (all exemplified above are manufactured by Shin-EtsuChemical Co., Ltd.), BY16-853 (amine equivalent 650), BY16-853BA (amineequivalent 200), (all exemplified above are manufactured by Dow CorningToray Co., Ltd.) and they are industrially made available, however thesiloxanediamine is not limited to these examples.

In a production method of the polyamide imide, addition of theabove-mentioned siloxanediamine makes the polyamide imide to be obtainedhave the siloxane structure in the main chain. Therefore, theflexibility of the polyamide imide to be obtained can be improved andoccurrence of blisters or the like under high temperature condition canremarkably be suppressed.

In the production method of polyamide imide, the amino groups of theabove-mentioned diamine compounds are reacted with carboxyl groups oftrimellitic anhydride or carboxyl anhydride. Among them, reaction withcarboxyl anhydride is preferable. Such a reaction is carried out at 70to 100° C. in a non-proton type polar solvent.

Examples of the non-proton type polar solvent are N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone(NMP), γ-butyrolactone, dimethylformamide, dimethylacetamide, dimethylsulfoxide, sulfolane, and cyclohexanone, however non-proton type polarsolvent is not limited to these examples. One or more of these solventsmay be used, however NMP is preferable to be used.

Such a non-proton type polar solvent is added in an amount so as tocontrol the solid content preferably 10 to 70% by weight, morepreferably 20 to 60% by weight, in the entire weight of the solution. Ifthe solid content in the solution is less than 10% by weight, since theuse amount of the solvent is so much, it tends to be industriallydisadvantageous. If it exceeds 70% by weight, the solubility oftrimellitic anhydride is decreased and therefore it becomes difficult tocarry out reaction sufficiently in some cases.

On completion of the above-mentioned reaction, an aromatic hydrocarbonazeotropic with water is added and reaction is further promoted at 150to 200° C. for dehydration ring-closing reaction. Accordingly, an imidogroup-containing dicarboxylic acid can be obtained. Examples of thearomatic hydrocarbon azeotropic with water are toluene, benzene, xyleneand ethylbenzene, however the aromatic hydrocarbon azeotropic with wateris not limited to these examples. Among them, toluene is preferablyused. Such an aromatic hydrocarbon is preferably added in an amount of10 to 50% by weight to the weight of the non-proton polar solvent. Ifthe addition amount of the aromatic hydrocarbon is less than 10% byweight to the weight of the non-proton polar solvent, the water removaleffect tends to be insufficient and the production amount of the imidogroup-containing dicarboxylic acid also tends to be decreased. If itexceeds 50% by weight, the reaction temperature is decreased and theproduction amount of the imido group-containing dicarboxylic acid alsotends to be decreased.

Further, in the dehydration ring-closing reaction, the aromatichydrocarbon is sometimes distilled simultaneously with water, so thatthe aromatic hydrocarbon amount sometimes becomes less than theabove-mentioned preferable range. Therefore, it is preferable to keepthe aromatic hydrocarbon amount constant by separating the aromatichydrocarbon distilled to the plug-equipped water quantitative receiverfrom water and then turning the aromatic hydrocarbon back. On completionof the dehydration ring-closing reaction, it is preferable to keep thetemperature at 150 to 200° C. to remove the aromatic hydrocarbonazeotropic with water.

The imido group-containing dicarboxylic acid to be obtained by theabove-mentioned reaction is preferably the compound defined by thefollowing general formula (10). In the formula, G represents a residualgroup derived from the diamine defined by the general formulas (4a),(4b), (9), (6), (7a) or (7b) from which the amino group is removed. R¹to R¹⁶ and q, r, and s are same as defined above.

The polyamide imide used in the invention can be produced by inducingthe above-mentioned imido group-containing dicarboxylic acid to acidhalide and polymerizing the acid halide with the above-mentioned diaminecompound.

In such a reaction, the imido group-containing dicarboxylic acid iseasily led to the acid halide by thionyl chloride, phosphorustrichloride, phosphorus pentachloride, or dichloromethyl methyl ether.The imido group-containing dicarboxylic acid halide is easilypolymerized with the above-mentioned diamine compound.

The polyamide imide used in the invention is produced by polymerizingthe above-mentioned imido group-containing dicarboxylic acid with theabove-mentioned diamine compound in the presence of a condensationagent.

In such a reaction, as the condensation agent, common condensationagents for forming amido bond can be used. For the condensation,particularly dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, diisopropylcarbodiimide, orN-ethyl-N′-3-dimethylaminopropylcarbodiimide is preferably used alone orin combination with N-hydroxysuccinimide or 1-hydroxybenzotriazole.

The polyamide imide used in the invention is produced also by convertingthe imido group-containing dicarboxylic acid into the acid halide andcausing reaction of the acid halide with diisocyanate.

In such a reaction, diamine compound: trimellitic anhydride:diisocyanate is preferably in a range of 1: (2 to 2.2): (1 to 1.5) bymole and more preferably in a range of 1: (2 to 2.2): (1 to 1.3) bymole. A polyamide imide having a high molecular weight and advantageousin the film formability can be obtained by controlling the mole ratio inthe above-mentioned range.

As the diisocyanate to be employed for the polyamide imide productionmethod of the invention, a compound defined by the general formula (11)can be used.OCN-D-NCO  (11)

In the formula, D represents a divalent organic group having at leastone aromatic ring or a divalent aliphatic hydrocarbon group.Practically, at least one group selected from —C₆H₄—CH₂—C₆H₄, tolylene,naphthylene, hexamethylene, 2,2,4-trimethylhexamethylene, and isophoronegroup is preferable.

As the diisocyanate defined by the above-mentioned general formula (11),an aliphatic diisocyanate or an aromatic diisocyanate may be used. Amongthem, the aromatic diisocyanate is preferably used and combination useof both is more preferable.

Examples of the aromatic diisocyanate are 4,4′-diphenylmethanediisocyanate (MDI), 2,4-tolylene diisocyanate, 2,6-tolylenediisocyanate, naphthalene-1,5-diisocyanate, and 2,4-tolylene dimer,however the aromatic diisocyanate is not limited to these examples.Among them, MDI is preferably used. Use of MDI improves the flexibilityof the polyamide imide to be obtained and decreases the crystallinityand accordingly improves the film formability of the polyamide imide.

Examples of the aliphatic diisocyanate are hexamethylene diisocyanate,2,2,4-trimethylhexamethylene diisocyanate, and isophorone diisocyanate,however the aliphatic diisocyanate is not limited to these examples.

In the case the aromatic diisocyanate and the aliphatic diisocyanate areused in combination, the aliphatic diisocyanate is preferably added inan amount of 5 to 10% by mole to the aromatic diisocyanate. Suchcombination use further improves the heat resistance of the polyimideamide to be obtained.

The reaction of the imido group-containing dicarboxylic acid anddiisocyanate is carried out by adding the diisocyanate to a solutioncontaining the imido group-containing dicarboxylic acid obtained by theabove-mentioned reaction and keeping the reaction temperature at 130 to200° C.

In the case of using a basic catalyst, the reaction of the imidogroup-containing dicarboxylic acid and the diisocyanate is carried outpreferably at 70 to 180° C. and more preferably at 120 to 150° C. In thecase of the reaction in the presence of such a basic catalyst, thereaction can be carried out at a lower temperature than that of thereaction to be carried out in the absence of the basic catalyst.Therefore, the side reaction such as reaction of the diisocyanatemolecules themselves can be suppressed and a polyamide imide with afurther higher molecular weight can be obtained.

Examples of such a basic catalyst are trialkylamines such astrimethylamine, triethylamine, tripropylamine, tri(2-ethylhexyl)amine,and trioctylamine. Among them, triethylamine has a preferable basicityfor reaction promotion and is easy to be removed after the reaction andtherefore is preferable.

The polyamide imide to be obtained by the above-mentioned reactioncomprises a repeating unit defined by the following general formula(12). In the formula, G represents a residual group derived from thediamine defined by the general formulas (4a), (4b), (9), (6), (7a) or(7b) from which the amino group is removed. R¹ to R¹⁶ and q, r and s aresame as defined above.

The polyamide imide obtained in such a manner as described above has aweight average molecular weight preferably 20,000 to 300,000, morepreferably 30,000 to 200,000, and even more preferably 40,000 to150,000. In this case, the weight average molecular weight is obtainedby carrying out measurement by gel permeation chromatography andconversion based on the calibration curve produced by using standardizedpolystyrenes.

A thermosetting adhesive can be obtained by adding a functionalgroup-containing amido-reactive compound to be reacted with the amido ofthe polyamide imide to the polyamide imide obtained in theabove-mentioned manner.

The amido-reactive compound is a compound having a functional group tobe reacted with the amido group of the polyamide imide by heating. Asthe amido-reactive compound, a polyfunctional epoxy compound and anoxetane compound can be exemplified, and the polyfunctional epoxycompound is preferably used.

Examples of the polyfunctional epoxy compound are bisphenol A type epoxyresin, tetrabromobisphenol A type epoxy resin, bisphenol F type epoxyresin, bisphenol S type epoxy resin, and biphenyl type epoxy resin,however the epoxy compound is not limited to these examples. One or moretypes of these exemplified compounds can be used.

The addition amount of the amido-reactive compound is preferably 10 to40 parts by weight, more preferably 15 to 25 parts by weight topolyamide imide 100 parts by weight. If the addition amount of theamido-reactive compound is less than 10 parts by weight, thethermosetting property of the adhesive to be obtained tends to bedeteriorated. If it exceeds 40 parts by weight, the cross-linkedstructure of the adhesive layer after curing the adhesive becomes denseand the brittle property of the resin tends to be decreased.

The above-mentioned adhesive is preferable to further contain a curingpromoting agent. The curing promoting agent is a component to promotecuring of the mixture of the polyamide imide and the amido-reactivecompound and is preferably a compound promoting the curing ofparticularly the amido-reactive compound. Example of the curingpromoting agent are amines and imidazoles, however the agent is notlimited to them. One or more of these compounds can be used.

Examples of the amines are dicyandiamide, diaminodiphenylethane, andguanylurea, however the amines are not limited to these exemplifiedcompounds. Examples of the imidazoles are alkyl-substituted imidazolessuch as 2-ethyl-4-methylimidazole and benzoimidazole, however theimidazoles are not limited to these exemplified compounds.

The addition amount of such a curing promoting agent may be determineddepending on the type of the amido-reactive compound. For example, incase that a polyfunctional epoxy compound is used as the amido-reactivecompound and amines are used as the curing promoting agent, amines arepreferably added in an amount to adjust the epoxy equivalent of thepolyfunctional epoxy compound and the equivalent of the active hydrogenof the amino groups of the amines to be approximately same. In case thata polyfunctional epoxy compound is used as the amido-reactive compound,and imidazoles are used as the curing promoting agent, the imidazolesare preferably added in an amount of 0.1 to 2.0 parts by weight to thepolyfunctional epoxy compound 100 parts by weight. If the additionamount of the curing promoting agent is insufficient, the uncuredamido-reactive compound remains in the adhesive layer and the heatresistance of the adhesive layer tend to be decreased. If it isexcessive, the curing promoting agent remains in the adhesive layer andthe insulating property of the adhesive layer tends to be deterioratedafter curing.

If necessary, the adhesive may contain a rubber type elastomer, aphosphorus type compound as a flame retardant, inorganic filler, acoupling agent, a pigment, a leveling agent, a defoaming agent, and anion trapping agent.

An adhesion assisting agent prepared according to above descriptions isdiluted with a solvent to obtain varnish, which is applied to one sideof a copper foil. Examples of the organic solvent are ketones such asacetone, methyl ethyl ketone, and cyclohexanone; acetic acid esters suchas ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, cellosolve acetate, propylene glycolmonomethyl ether acetate, and carbitol acetate; cellosolves such ascellosolve and butyl cellosolve; carbitols such as carbitol andbutylcarbitol; aromatic hydrocarbons such as toluene and xylene;dimethylformamide, dimethylacetamide, and N-methylpyrrolidone, howeverthe solvent is not limited to these exemplified solvents. One or morekinds of these solvents may be used. The amount to be used for dilutingwith a adhesion assisting agent is not particularly limited, however,may be a conventionally know amount.

The adhesion assisting agent-bearing copper foil is completed byapplying the adhesion assisting agent of the invention or theabove-mentioned varnish to one face of a copper foil and semi-curingthem.

In the case that the adhesion assisting agent as a varnish is applied tothe copper foil with a comma coater, the amount of solvent used ispreferably adjusted so as to control the total solid content of theadhesion assisting agent to be 40 to 70% by weight. Further, the amountmay be adjusted depending on the facility for film formation.

An example of the production method of a substrate using the adhesionassisting agent-bearing metal foil as described will be described below.The adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil and prepreg arelaminated and united by a conventionally known method to obtain alaminate plate as shown in FIG. 1(a).

Next, penetrating through holes 4 for interlayer connection are formedin the above-mentioned laminate body (FIG. 1(b)). If the through holediameter is 100 μm or larger, drilling work is suitable. If the throughhole diameter is 100 μm or narrower, gas laser of CO₂, CO, and excimerlaser, and solid laser such as YAG laser are suitable to be employed. Ifthe through hole diameter is around 100 μm, either method may be used.

Next, a catalyst core is supplied to the through hole insides. To supplythe catalyst core, Activator Neoganth (trade name, manufactured by ATTOTech Japan Co., Ltd.), a palladium ion catalyst, and HS 201B (tradename, manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.), a palladium colloidcatalyst can be used. In the case of supplying the palladium catalyst,conditioning treatment with such as CLC-201 (trade name, manufactured byHitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.) is previously carried out.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1(c), a thin electroless plating layer 5 isformed on the metal foil and the through hole insides to which thecatalyst core is supplied. For the electroless plating, commercializedelectroless copper plating solutions such as CUST 2000 (trade name,manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.) and CUST 201 (trade name,manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.) can be employed, however theplating is not limited to these examples. These electroless copperplating solutions contain mainly copper sulfate, formalin, a complexingagent, and sodium hydroxide. The thickness of the plating is sufficientif the next electroplating can be carried out thereon and it is about0.1 to 1 μm.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1(d), plating resist 6 is formed on theelectroless plating. The thickness of the plating resist is preferablythe same as or thicker than the thickness of a conductor for plantingthereafter. Examples of the resin to be used for the plating resist areliquid phase resist such as PMER P-LA900PM (trade name; manufactured byTokyo Ohka Kogyo Co., Ltd.) and dry films such as HW-425 (trade name,manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.) and RY-3325 (trade name,manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.). The plating resist shouldnot be formed on the portions to be via holes and a conductor circuit.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1(e), circuit patterns 7 are formed byelectroplating. A copper sulfate electroplating to be used commonly fora printed wiring board may be used. The thickness of the plating issufficient if it is used as a circuit conductor and preferably in arange of 1 to 100 μm, and more preferably in a range of 5 to 50 μm.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1(f), the resist is separated by an alkalineseparation solution, sulfuric acid, or a commercialized resistseparation solution and copper in portions other than the pattern partsis removed by etching. In this case, etching is generally carried out byhigh pressure spraying or the like. However, the solution exchangedeteriorates inevitably in the portions where the wiring is made fine.Accordingly, the reaction of the copper and the etching solution isdesirably carried out based on the reaction speed, not on the diffusionspeed. If the reaction of copper and the etching solution is carried outbased on the reaction speed, even in the case where the diffusion isincreased, the etching speed does not change. That is, no etching speeddifference occures between the portions where the solution exchange iswell promoted and the portions where the solution exchange is poorlypromoted. Practically, an etching solution containing hydrogen peroxideand a halogen-free acid as the main components is preferably used. Ifhydrogen peroxide is used as an oxidizing agent, strict etching speedcontrol is made possible by controlling the hydrogen peroxideconcentration. Additionally, if a halogen element is added to theetching solution, the dissolution reaction tends to be promoteddepending on the diffusion speed. As the halogen-free acid, nitric acid,sulfuric acid, and organic acids are usable and sulfuric acid iseconomical and therefore preferable. In the case that the etchingsolution contains sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide as the maincomponents, their concentrations are preferable to be 5 to 300 g/L and 5to 200 g/L, respectively, in terms of the etching speed and thestability of the solution.

Accordingly, the method for producing a substrate by the pattern-wiseelectroplating method is described above, however a subtractive methodmay be employed. By the method described above, a core substratecomprising two layers is completed. The core substrate produced in theabove-mentioned manner is preferable to have the surface roughness Rz ofthe conductor circuit 2.0 μm or lower and the surface roughness Rz ofthe insulating layer 2.0 μm or lower in terms of the electricproperties.

The conductor circuit and the insulating layer formed as described aboveare smooth. Therefore, to firmly bond these layers, as shown in FIG.1(g), an adhesion assisting agent layer 8 for promoting the adhesionstrength may be formed. In consideration of reliability, formation ofthe adhesion assisting agent layer is preferable. The thickness of theadhesion assisting agent layer is preferably in a range of 0.1 to 10 μmand further preferably 0.1 to 5 μm. If the thickness of the adhesionassisting agent layer is thinner than 0.1 μm, the adhesion strengthsometimes becomes insufficient. If the thickness is thicker than 10 μm,adverse effects on various properties such as elongation, dielectricconstant, dielectric dissipation factor and the like are caused in somecases. The composition of the adhesion assisting agent may be similar tothe resin used for applying the copper foil in step (a).

If the conductor circuit surface is subjected to anti-rust treatmentwith nickel, chromium, tin, zinc or palladium and to treatment with acoupling agent and then the adhesion assisting agent layer is formedthereon, the peeling strength is improved. The methods for the anti-rusttreatment and the treatment with a coupling agent may be the same asthose employed in the case where a copper foil is used. The anti-rusttreatment is preferably carried out by electroless plating.

The coating method for the adhesion assisting agent layer is carried outby immersing the core substrate in an adhesion assisting agent solution.Before the immersion, the substrate may be immersed in an acid, analkali, or various surfactant solutions to remove the oxidized layer orimprove the wettability. The surface roughness Rz of the conductorcircuit after the film formation is desirably 2.0 μm or lower. Theconcentration of the solid content of the adhesion assisting agent isnot particularly limited, however it is preferably in a range of 1 to50%, more preferably in a range of 3 to 25% in consideration of theresin thickness after immersion. The adhesion assisting agent treatmenttemperature may be a at room temperature and the solution temperaturemay be controlled in a range of 10 to 50° C.

After the immersion, drying is carried out by blowing hot air. Thedrying temperature is preferably in a range of 90 to 210° C. and morepreferably 120 to 190° C. The solvent remaining after drying iscontrolled to be 1% or less. If the remaining solvent is higher than 1%,the reliability of the printed wiring board to be finally produced issometimes deteriorated. The drying duration differs depending on thedrying temperature, however it is 1 minute to 60 minutes. The resinafter drying is kept in the B-stage state, which is a semi-cured state,but not completely cured. If the resin is completely cured, the adhesionstrength to the insulating layer to be formed thereon may possibly beweak.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1(h), a one side metal foil-bearing resincomprising an insulating layer 9 and a metal layer 10 is laminated onthe core substrate treated with the adhesion assisting agent. Anadhesion assisting agent layer 11 may be formed between the insulatinglayer 9 and the metal layer 10. The resin thickness of the insulatinglayer is about 10 to 100 μm, preferably 20 to 60 μm. The thickness ofthe foil 10 is preferably 0.3 to 3 μm. The same resin and the copperfoil that was used for producing the one-side metal foil-bearing resinmay be used. The metal foil-bearing resin may be obtained by applying aresin varnish to the metal foils by using a kiss coater, a roll coater,or a comma coater. Or, the metal foil-bearing resin may be obtained bylaminating a film-like resin on the metal foil. In the case that theresin varnish is applied to the metal foil, the resulting laminate isheated and dried thereafter. The conditions for heating and drying are100 to 200° C. for 1 to 30 minutes. The amount of remaining solvent inthe resin composition after that the heating and drying is preferably0.2 to 10%. In the case that the film-like resin is laminated onto themetal foil, the conditions are preferably at 50 to 150° C. and 0.1 to 5MPa vacuum or atmospheric pressure. The addition of the epoxy resin tothe insulating layer improves the adhesion strength to the polyamideimide in the B stage. Further, there is a laminating and pressing methodfor the core substrate, prepreg, and copper foils. In the case the coresubstrate and prepreg and the copper foil are laminated and pressed, theprepreg to be used is produced by the same method as the method for thecore substrate. The peeling strength between the adhesion assistingagent layer and the copper foil is preferably 0.6 kN/m or higher if thepeeling strength of the adhesion assisting agent-bearing insulatinglayer and the conductor circuit with 1 mm width at 20° C. is measured,and more preferably 0.4 kN/m or higher if the peeling strength of theadhesion assisting agent-bearing insulating layer and the conductorcircuit with 1 mm width at 20° C. after the laminate is kept at 150° C.for 240 hours is measured.

Next, IVH 12 is formed in the inter resin insulating layer from themetal foil as shown in FIG. 1(i). For the IVH formation method, laser ispreferably used. As the laser to be employed in this case, gas laser ofCO₂, CO, and excimer laser, and solid laser such as YAG laser areavailable. Since CO₂ laser easily gives a high output, it is suitablefor processing IVH with φ50 μm or larger. In the case of processing fineIVH with φ50 μm or smaller, YAG laser is suitable since it has a shorterwavelength and has excellent light converging property.

Conformal hole formation can be employed for IVH formation. In thiscase, a window hole is formed in the copper foil by a photolithographicmethod and carrying out IVH formation by laser with a larger laserdiameter than that of the window hole. In this case, use of the adhesionassisting agent of the invention is effective to improve the platingdeposition on the portions (end parts of the substrate) where the resinis naked. Therefore, the problem of separation of the plating in the endparts of the substrate scarcely takes place.

Next, the resin residue in the inside of the IVH is removed by using anoxidizing agent such as permanganic acid salt, chromic acid salt, orchromic acid.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1(j), a thin electroless plating layer 13 isformed on the metal foil and IVH inside to which the catalyst core issupplied. For the electroless plating, commercialized electroless copperplating solutions such as CUST 2000 (trade name, manufactured by HitachiChemical Co., Ltd.) and CUST 201 (trade name, manufactured by HitachiChemical Co., Ltd.) can be employed, however the plating is not limitedto the examples. These electroless copper plating solutions containmainly copper sulfate, formalin, a complexing agent, and sodiumhydroxide. The thickness of the plating is sufficient if the nextelectroplating can be carried out thereon and it is about 0.1 to 1 μm.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1(k), plating resist 14 is formed on theelectroless plating layer. The thickness of the plating resist ispreferably the same as or thicker than the thickness of a conductor forplanting thereafter. Examples of the resin to be used for the platingresist are liquid phase resist such as PMER P-LA900PM (trade name;manufactured by Tokyo Ohka Kogyo Co., Ltd.) and dry films such as HW-425(trade name, manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.) and RY-3325(trade name, manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.). The platingresist should not be formed on the portions to be via holes and aconductor circuit.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1(l), circuit patterns 15 are formed byelectroplating. A copper sulfate electroplating used commonly for aprinted wiring board may be used. The thickness of the plating issufficient if it is used as a circuit conductor and preferably in arange of 1 to 100 μm, more preferably in a range of 5 to 50 μm.

Next, the resist is separated by an alkaline separation solution,sulfuric acid, or a commercialized resist separation solution.

Next, copper in the portions other than the pattern parts is removed byan etching solution to complete circuit formation (FIG. 1(m)). For theetching solution, those which contain sulfuric acid in a concentrationof 10 to 300 g/L and hydrogen peroxide in a concentration of 10 to 200g/L as main components are preferable.

Further, a gold plating layer 16 may be carried out on the circuit byelectroless gold plating (FIG. 1(n)). As a gold plating method, stepsmay be carried out as follows: the conductor interface is activated byan activation solution such as SA-100 (trade name; manufactured byHitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.); electroless nickel plating with a thicknessof 1 to 10 μm is carried out by using NIPS-100 (trade name; manufacturedby Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.); replacement gold plating with athickness of 0.01 to 0.1 μm is carried out by using HGS-100 (trade name;manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.); and then electroless goldplating with a thickness of about 0.1 to 1 μm is carried out by usingHGS-2000 (trade name; manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.).Further, if electroless palladium plating is carried out between theelectroless nickel plating and electroless gold plating as described inJP-A No. 11-140659, the connection reliability is further improved. As areference, the subject matter of the mentioned JP-A No. 11-140659 ishereby incorporated herein by reference. The electroless palladiumplating may be carried out in 0.01 to 1 μm thickness by using Pallet(trade name; KOJIMA Chemical Co., Ltd.). In consideration of theelectric properties, the electroless nickel plating may be eliminated.These combinations may differ depending on the uses of the product anddetermined based on the cost, electric properties, and connectionreliability. The invention is effective in cases where any of theabove-mentioned techniques are employed.

In place of the electroless gold plating, printing of solder resist aspermanent resist may be carried out (FIG. 1(n)). The solder resist 16may be formed on portions which are not needed for mounting by printingit on the wiring and insulating layer and carrying out exposure anddevelopment. As the solder resist, PSR-4000 (trade name; Taiyo Ink Mfg.Co., Ltd.) may be used. Here, the adhesion strength of the solder resistand the insulating layer in C stage sometimes becomes a problem, howeverthe adhesion property is improved in the invention since the adhesionassisting agent layer exists. The printed wiring board of the embodimentof the invention comprises the adhesion assisting agent layer andtherefore is excellent in moisture absorption resistance and heatresistance and undesirable problems in reflowing treatment or the liketo be carried out thereafter hardly occur.

Hereinafter, the invention will be described more practically.

EXAMPLE 1

The following metal foil A was produced.

(Metal Foil A)

Chromium plating was continuously carried out on the bright face of anelectrolytic copper foil (a carrier copper foil) with a width of 510 mmand a thickness of 35 μm in the following conditions to form a chromiumplating layer (a separation layer) with a thickness of 1.0 mg/dm². Thesurface roughness (ten-point mean surface roughness) Rz after thechromium plating formation was 0.5 μm. The surface roughness wasmeasured according to JIS-B-0601.

Chromium Plating Conditions

-   -   Solution composition: chromium trioxide 250 g/L and sulfuric        acid 2.5 g/L,    -   Bath temperature: 25° C.,    -   Anode: lead, and    -   Electric current density: 20 A/dm².

Next, electric copper plating in a thickness of 2.0 μm was carried outin the following bright conditions. The metal foil surface roughness Rzafter the electric copper plating was 0.6 μm.

Electric Copper Plating Conditions

-   -   Solution composition: copper sulfate pentahydrate 100 g/L,        sulfuric acid 150 g/L, and chloride ion 30 ppm,    -   Bath temperature: 25° C.,    -   Anode: lead, and    -   Electric current density: 10 A/dm².

Next, zinc anti-rust treatment was carried out by electric plating inthe following bright conditions.

-   -   Solution composition: zinc 20 g/L and sulfuric acid 70 g/L,    -   Bath temperature: 40° C.,    -   Anode: lead,    -   Electric current density: 15 A/dm².    -   Electrolytic time: 10 seconds.

Next, successively the following chromate treatment was carried out.

-   -   Solution composition: chromic acid 5.0 g/L,    -   pH: 11.5,    -   Bath temperature: 55° C.,    -   Anode: lead, and    -   Immersion period: 5 seconds.

Next, the following silane coupling treatment was carried out.

-   -   Solution composition: 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane 5.0 g/L,    -   Bath temperature: 25° C., and    -   Immersion period: 10 seconds.

After silane coupling treatment, the metal foil was dried at 120° C. toadsorb the coupling agent to the metal foil surface to obtain a metalfoil A. The metal foil surface roughness Rz was 0.6 μm at that time.

A resin composition A was produced as follows. The resin composition Awas used as an adhesion assisting agent in a step thereafter. (Resincomposition A) Novolak type epoxy resin having biphenyl structure, NC3000S-H   80 parts by weight (manufactured by Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd.)Carboxylic acid-modified acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber   5 parts byweight particles, XER-91SE-15 (manufactured by JSR Co., Ltd.) Triazinering-containing cresol novolak type phenol resin,   9 parts by weightPhenolite EXB-9829 (nitrogen content 18% by weight, hydroxyl equivalent151, manufactured by Dainippon Ink and Chemicals Inc.) Phenolic hydroxylgroup-containing phosphorus compound,   26 parts by weight HCA-HQ(manufactured by Sanko Co., Ltd.) Inorganic filler, spherical silica,Admafine SC-2050   40 parts by weight (manufactured by Admatechs Co.,Ltd.) Imidazole derivative compound, 0.24 parts by weight1-cyanoethyl-2-phenylimidazolium trimellitate, 2PZ-CNS (manufactured byShikoku Corp.) Solvent, methyl ethyl ketone

A resin composition B was produced as follows. The resin composition Bis used for an insulating layer in a step thereafter.

(Resin Composition B)

Polyphenylene ether resin (trade name: PKN 4752, manufactured by GEPlastics Japan Co., Ltd.) 20% by weight, 2,2-bis(4-cyanatophenyl)propane(trade name: AcrocyB-10, manufactured by Asahi-Ciba Ltd.) 40% by weight,phosphorus-containing phenol compound (trade name: HCA-HQ, manufacturedby Sanko Co., Ltd.) 8% by weight, manganese naphthenate (Mn content=6%by weight, manufactured by Nihon Kagaku Sangyo Co., Ltd.) 0.1% byweight, and 2,2-bis(4-glycidylphenyl)propane (trade name: DER331L, DowChemical Corp. Japan) 32% by weight were dissolved in toluene by heatingat 80° C. to produce polyphenylene ether cyanate type resin compositionvarnish.

The metal foil B was produced as follows. The metal foil B was anadhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil obtained by applying theresin composition A, which was an adhesion assisting agent, to a metalfoil A.

(Metal Foil B)

The resin composition A, which was an adhesion assisting agent, wasapplied to the silane coupling agent-treated face of a metal foil A.After the application, drying was carried out at 160° C. for 1 minute soas to suppress the remaining solvent to 11% or less and obtain the metalfoil B. The thickness of the applied resin composition A was 2.0 μm.

Next, a 0.2 mm thick glass cloth (basic weigh 210 g/m²) was impregnatedwith the resin composition B and dried at 120° C. for 5 minutes toobtain prepreg. Four sheets of the prepreg and sheets of the metal foilB were laminated in such a manner that the faces coated with the resincomposition A were brought into contact with the prepreg in the top faceand bottom face, and then the obtained laminate was press-formed at 170°C. and 2.45 MPa for 1 hour. The carrier foil on the copper foil waspeeled to obtain a copper-clad laminate board comprising the prepreg 1,the adhesion assisting agent layer 3, and the metal foil 2 as shown inFIG. 1(a).

As shown in FIG. 1(b), penetrating through holes 4 with a diameter 80 μmwere formed in the metal foil by a carbon dioxide gas impact laserdrilling apparatus L-500 (trade name, manufactured by Sumitomo HeavyIndustries, Ltd.). Next, the resulting prepreg was immersed in anaqueous solution mixture of potassium permanganate 65 g/l and sodiumhydroxide 40 g/l at 70° C. for 20 minutes to remove smear.

After that, HS-201B, a palladium catalyst (trade name, manufactured byHitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.), was supplied. After that, using CUST 201(trade name, manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.), electrolesscopper plating was carried out at 25° C. for 30 minutes to form a 0.5μm-thick electroless copper plating layer 5 as shown in FIG. 1(c). Thepalladium catalyst supply conditions are shown in Table 1. TABLE 1Treatment Treatment Step Treatment Solution Condition Cleaner CLCc-50160° C., 5 min Warm Water Washing Pure Water 40° C., 4 min EtchingAmmonium 25° C., 10 sec. Peroxodisulfate 187 g/1 Flowing Water WashingPure Water 25° C., 3 min. Acid Treatment 10 Vol. % Sulfuric Acid 25° C.,3 min. Flowing Water Washing Pure Water 25° C., 2 min. Catalyst SupplyPretreatment PD301 25° C., 2 min. Catalyst Supply Treatment HS201-B 25°C., 8 min. Flowing Water Washing Pure Water 25° C., 3 min. AdhesionPromoting Agent ADP-201 25° C., 4 min. Flowing Water Washing Pure Water25° C., 2 min.

As shown in FIG. 1(d), RY-3325, a dry film photoresist (trade name,manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.), was laminated on thesurface of the electroless plating layer. Next, the portions to becoated with electrolytic copper plating were masked with a photomask andUV exposure and development were carried out to form plating resist 6.

As shown in FIG. 1(e), electrolytic copper plating 20 μm was carried outin conditions of 25° C. bath temperature and 1.0 A/dm² current densityin a copper sulfate bath to form circuit patterns 7 with the minimumcircuit conductor width/circuit conductor interval (L/S)=23/17 μm.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1(f), the dry film was removed by HTO (tradename, manufactured by Nichigo-Morton Co., Ltd.). After that, copper inthe portions other than the pattern parts was removed by etching with anetching solution with a composition of H₂SO₄ 100 g/L and H₂O₂ 10 g/L toobtain a core substrate. The surface roughness Rz of the insulatinglayer of the core substrate was 0.5 μm. The surface roughness Rz of theconductor circuit was 1.2 μm. The surface roughness was measuredaccording to JIS-B-0601.

Next, after 1 μm-thick electroless nickel plating was carried out on thesurface of the conductor circuit, the following silane couplingtreatment was carried out.

-   Solution composition: 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane 5.0 g/L;-   Solution temperature: 25° C.-   Immersion time: 10 seconds

Next, the whole body of the substrate was immersed in the solution ofthe resin composition A, pulled out of the solution, and dried at 160°C. for 10 minutes to suppress the remaining solvent 1% or less and asshown in FIG. 1(g), the whole body of the substrate was coated with theresin composition A to form an adhesion assisting agent layer 8. Thethickness of the coating was about 2 μm after drying.

The prepreg impregnated with the composition B which has a thickness of60 mμ and the metal foil B were laminated on the core substrate afterthe coating. Next, the resulting laminate was press-formed at 170° C.and 2.45 MPa for 1 hour and the carrier foil on the copper foil waspeeled to produce a substrate on which the insulating layer 9, theadhesion assisting agent layer 11, and a metal foil 10 were formed asshown in FIG. 1(h).

As shown in 1I, IVHs 12 with a diameter of 50 μm were formed in themetal foil by a carbon dioxide gas impact laser drilling apparatus L-500(trade name, manufactured by Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd.). Next, theresulting substrate was immersed in an aqueous solution mixture ofpotassium permanganate 65 g/l and sodium hydroxide 40 g/l at 70° C. for20 minutes to remove smear.

After that, HS-201B, a palladium catalyst (trade name, manufactured byHitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.), was supplied. After that, using CUST 201(trade name, manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.), electrolesscopper plating was carried out at 25° C. for 30 minutes to form a 0.5μm-thick electroless copper plating layer 13 as shown in FIG. 1(j). Thepalladium catalyst supply conditions are shown in Table 2. TABLE 2Treatment Treatment Step Treatment Solution Condition Cleaner CLCc-50160° C., 5 min Warm Water Washing Pure Water 40° C., 4 min EtchingAmmonium 25° C., 10 sec. Peroxodisulfate 187 g/1 Flowing Water WashingPure Water 25° C., 3 min. Acid Treatment 10 Vol. % Sulfuric Acid 25° C.,3 min. Flowing Water Washing Pure Water 25° C., 2 min. Catalyst SupplyPretreatment PD301 25° C., 2 min. Catalyst Supply Treatment HS201-B 25°C., 8 min. Flowing Water Washing Pure Water 25° C., 3 min. AdhesionPromoting Agent ADP-201 25° C., 4 min. Flowing Water Washing Pure Water25° C., 2 min.

As shown in FIG. 1(k), RY-3325, which is a dry film photoresist (tradename, manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.), was laminated on thesurface of the electroless plating layer. Next, the portions to becoated with electrolytic copper plating were masked with a photomask andUV exposure and development were carried out to form plating resist 14.

As shown in FIG. 1(i), electrolytic copper plating 20 μm was carried outin conditions of 25° C. bath temperature and 1.0 A/dm² current densityin a copper sulfate bath to form circuit patterns 15 with the minimumcircuit conductor width/circuit conductor interval (L/S)=23/17 μm.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1(m), the dry film was removed by HTO (tradename, manufactured by Nichigo-Morton Co., Ltd.). After that, copper inthe portions other than the pattern parts was removed by etching with anetching solution of a composition of H₂SO₄ 100 g/L and H₂O₂ 10 g/L. Theminimum circuit conductor width/circuit conductor interval (LIS) afteretching was 20/20 μm.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1(n), electroless gold plating was formed on theoutermost layer to form a gold plating layer 16 and obtain a printedwiring board. The electroless gold plating conditions are shown in Table3. TABLE 3 Solution Immersion Step Solution Concentration TemperatureTime Degreasing Z-200 60° C. 1 min. Water Washing 25° C. 2 min. SoftEtching Ammonium 100 g/L 25° C. 1 min. Peroxodisulfate Water Washing 25°C. 2 min. Acid Washing Sulfuric Acid 10 vol % 25° C. 1 min. WaterWashing 25° C. 2 min. Activation Treatment SA-100 25° C. 5 min. WaterWashing 25° C. 2 min. Electroless Nickel Phosphorus NIPS-100 85° C. 20min.  Plating Water Washing 25° C. 2 min. Electroless Nickel BoronPlating Top Chemi 65° C. 5 min. Alloy 66 Water Washing 25° C. 2 min.Electroless Nickel Palladium Pallet 70° C. 5 min. Plating Water Washing25° C. 2 min. Displacement Gold Plating HGS-100 85° C. 10 min.  WaterWashing 25° C. 2 min. Electroless Gold Plating HGS-2000 65° C. 40 min. Remarks)

-   Z-200 (trade name: manufactured by World Metal Co., Ltd.)-   SA-100 (trade names; manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.)-   NIPS-100 (trade names; manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.)-   Top Chemi Alloy 66 (trade names; manufactured by Okuno Chemical    Industries Co., Ltd.)-   Pallet (trade name; KOJIMA Chemicals Co., Ltd.)-   HGS-100 (trade names; manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.)-   HGS-2000 (trade names; manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.)

EXAMPLE 2

A printed wiring board was produced in the same manner as Example 1,except that at the time of producing the resin composition A, theaddition amount of the novolak type epoxy resin having biphenylstructure (NC3000S-H) was changed to 82.8 parts by weight from 80 partsby weight and the addition amount of the cresol novolak type phenol(Phenolite EXB-9829) was changed to 12.2 parts by weight from 9 parts byweight.

EXAMPLE 3

A printed wiring board was produced in the same manner as Example 1,except that the thickness of the resin composition A was changed to 5 μmfrom 2.0 μm at the time of producing the metal foil B.

EXAMPLE 4

A printed wiring board was produced in the same manner as Example 1,except that the silane coupling treatment solution used for the silanecoupling treatment of the metal foil A was changed to3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane from 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane.

EXAMPLE 5

A printed wiring board was produced in the same manner as Example 1,except that at the time of producing the resin composition A, butadienerubber-acrylic resin core shell particles, EXL-2655 (manufactured byKureha Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) 10 parts by weight were used inplace of the carboxylic acid-modified acrylonitrile-butadiene rubberparticles 5 parts by weight.

EXAMPLE 6

A printed wiring board was produced in the same manner as Example 1,except that 60 μm-thick prepreg, GEA-679-FG (trade name, manufactured byHitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.), was used in place of the prepreg obtainedfrom the resin composition B in step (G) in Example 1.

EXAMPLE 7

A printed wiring board was produced in the same manner as Example 1,except that the thickness of the resin composition A was changed to 8 μmfrom 2 μm at the time of producing the metal foil B.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1

A printed wiring board was produced in the same manner as Example 1,except that the metal foil A was laminated in place of laminating theprepreg impregnated with the composition B and the metal foil B, on thecore substrate after coating with the resin composition A in step (G) inExample 1.

(Measurement of the Peeling Strength of the Conductor)

The peeling strength of the conductor of the printed wiring boards(samples) of Examples 1 to 7 and Comparative Example 1 was measured. Thepeeling strength measurement was carried out by measuring the verticalpeeling strength. The initial values and values of the peeling strengthafter heating at 150° C. for 240 hours were measured. The measurementwas carried out constantly at 20° C. The measurement conditions areshown in Table 4. TABLE 4 Test Conditions for Conductor Circuit PeelStrength Item Condition Apparatus Autograph AC-100C, manufactured byShimadzu Corporation Peeling Speed 50 mm/min. Test Width 1 mm(Moisture Absorption Heating Resistant Test)

The samples of Examples 1 to 7 and Comparative Example 1 were subjectedto the test of moisture absorption and heating resistance. Practically,the respective samples were treated at 121° C. and 100% humidity in 2atmospheric pressure for 96 hours. A saturation type PCT apparatusPC-242 manufactured by Hirayama Mfg. Corp. was employed.

After that, whether blisters had formed in the samples or not wasconfirmed. Also, the peeling strength of the conductors of the sampleswas measured at 20° C.

(Evaluation of Connection Reliability)

The connection reliability of the printed wiring boards of Examples 1 to7 and Comparative Example 1 was evaluated. The connection reliabilityevaluation was carried out by using the patterns shown in FIG. 2. Thepatterns in FIG. 2 include the conductor circuit 17, IVH 18, and theinsulating layer 19. The design of the patterns shown in FIG. 2 is shownin Table 5. The connection reliability was evaluated as follows: onecycle comprised holding at −65° C. for 30 minutes and at 125° C. for 30minutes, if the resistance value alteration was within ±10% of theinitial value after 1000 cycles, the sample was qualified. TABLE 5Design of Connection Reliability Evaluation Pattern Unit Employed IVHDiameter μm 80 IVH Pitch mm 1.27 Inner Layer Pad Diameter μm 150 OuterLayer Land Diameter μm 150 IVH Number holes 400(Test Results)

The test results are shown in Table 6. With respect to Examples 1 to 7,the conductor peeling strength was found 0.7 kN/m or higher for all ofthe initial value, the value after 150° C. for 240 hours, and the valueafter the moisture absorption heating resistance test. Also, no blisterwas observed after the moisture absorption heating resistance test.

On the other hand, with respect to Comparative Example 1, the conductorpeeling strength was weak and blisters occurred between the innerconductor and the insulating layer after the moisture absorption heatingresistance test. Also, a good result was not obtained in the connectionreliability. TABLE 6 Conductor peeling strength (kN/m) After themoisture Blister absorption After the moisture After 150° C. for heatingabsorption heating Connection Initial 240 hours resistance testresistance test reliability Example 1 1.2 1.1 1 None Good Example 2 1.21.1 1 None Good Example 3 1.3 1.2 1.1 None Good Example 4 1.1 0.9 0.9None Good Example 5 1.2 1.1 1.1 None Good Example 6 1.2 1.1 1.1 NoneGood Example 7 1.3 1.2 1.1 None Good Comparative 0.3 0.3 0.2 OccurringPoor Example 1

EXAMPLE 8

A copper-clad laminate board was produced by using 0.6 mm-thick prepregGE-679-FG (trade name, manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.) inplace of the obtained prepreg in step A in Example 1. A printed wiringboard shown in FIG. 1(n) was also produced in the same manner as Example1, except that no silane coupling treatment was carried out after thecore substrate production and the adhesion assisting agent layer 8 wasformed by immersing the whole body of the substrate in the resincomposition C in place of execution of the silane coupling treatmentafter the core substrate production method and formation of the adhesionassisting agent layer 8 by immersion of the whole body of the substratein the resin composition in steps F and G; and a photosensitive solderresist PSR-400 (trade name; Taiyo Ink Mfg. Co., Ltd.) was applied andexposure and development were carried out in place of the formation ofthe gold plating layer 16 by electroless gold plating in step N.

The resin composition C was produced as follows. The resin composition Cwas an adhesion assisting agent.

(Resin Composition C)

A separable flask of 500 mL capacity equipped with a Deen/Starkrefluxing cooling apparatus, a thermometer, and a stirrer was loadedwith (4,4′-diamino)dicyclohexylmethane as an alicyclic diamine compound(trade name: Wondamine HM (abbreviated as WHM), manufactured by NewJapan Chemical Co., Ltd.) 45 mmol, a reactive silicone oil X-22-161-B assiloxanediamine (trade name, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co.,Ltd., amine equivalent 1,500) 5 mmol, trimellitic anhydride (TMA) 105mmol, and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) as a non-proton polar solvent 145g and the mixture was stirred at 80° C. for 30 minutes.

On completion of stirring, toluene 100 mL as an aromatic hydrocarbonazeotropic with water was added and the resulting reaction solution washeated to 160° C. and refluxed for 2 hours. When it was confirmed that atheoretical quantity of water was pooled in a water quantitativereception apparatus and no water flow was observed, water and toluene inthe water quantitative reception apparatus were removed and toluene inthe reaction solution was removed by heating to 190° C.

After the solution in the flask was cooled to room temperature,4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) as diisocyanate 60 mmol wasadded and the temperature was heated to 190° C. and reaction was carriedout for 2 hours to obtain an NMP solution of polyamide imide resin.Next, YDCN-500-10 (manufactured by Tohto Kasei Co., Ltd.) as an epoxyresin was added in an amount so as to adjust the total solid contentconcentration to be 10%, and further 2-ethyl-4-methylimidazole as acuring promoting agent was added in an amount of 1% by weight on thebasis of the solid content of the epoxy resin and the resulting solutionwas diluted with dimethylacetamide to obtain thermosetting resin varnish(solid content 10%).

EXAMPLE 9

A substrate was produced in the same manner as Example 1, except thatabout 3 μm roughness was formed by etching the conductor circuit, inplace that the coating of the whole body of the substrate with the resincomposition C by immersing the whole body of the substrate in thesolution of the resin composition C, pulling the substrate out of thesolution, and drying at 160° C. for 10 minutes to suppress the remainingsolvent to 1% or less in step G. CZ treatment (trade name, manufacturedby Mech & Co., Ltd.) was used for the etching.

EXAMPLE 10

A substrate was produced in the same manner as Example 8, except thatthe thickness of the resin composition A was changed to 5 μm from 2 μmin the case of producing the metal foil B.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 2

A substrate was produced in the same manner as Example 8, except thatthe metal foil A was laminated on the core substrate after coating, inplace of laminating the prepreg impregnated with the composition B andmetal foil B in step (h) in Example 8.

(Moisture Absorption Heating Resistant Test)

The samples of Examples 8 to 10 and Comparative Example 2 were subjectedto the test of moisture absorption and heating resistance. Therespective printed wiring boards (samples) were treated at 121° C. and100% humidity at a pressure of 2 atm for 96 hours. After that whetherblister occurred or not in the substrates was confirmed. A saturationtype PCT apparatus PC-242 manufactured by Hirayama Mf g. Corp. wasemployed for the test.

(Moisture Absorption Soldering Test)

The samples of Examples 8 to 10 and Comparative Example 2 were subjectedto the test of moisture absorption soldering. The test of the substrateswere carried out by treating the respective samples at 121° C. and 100%humidity at a pressure of 2 atm for 1 hour and then immersing them in asolder bath at 288° C. After that whether blister occurred or not in thesubstrates was confirmed. A saturation type PCT apparatus PC-242manufactured by Hirayama Mfg. Corp. was employed for the test.

(Test Results)

The test results of the samples produced in Examples 8 to 10 andComparative Example 2 are shown in Table 7. As shown in Table 7, noabnormality was observed in the samples produced in Examples 8 to 10since they had the adhesion assisting agent layer, meanwhile blisterswere observed between the substrate and the solder resist in the wiringboard produced in Comparative Example 2. TABLE 7 Moisture absorptionheating resistant Moisture absorption soldering test test Example 8 Noabnormality No abnormality Example 9 No abnormality No abnormalityExample 10 No abnormality No abnormality Comparative Blistering inresin—resin Blistering in resin—resin layers Example 2 layers

1. An adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil comprising a layer ofan adhesion assisting agent containing an epoxy resin as anindispensable component on a metal, wherein the adhesion assisting agentlayer has a thickness of 0.1 to 10 μm.
 2. The adhesion assistingagent-bearing metal foil according to claim 1, wherein the resincontaining an epoxy resin as an indispensable component contains (A) anepoxy resin, (B) rubber particles, and (C) an epoxy resin curing agent.3. The adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil according to claim 2,wherein the component (A) is a novolak epoxy resin or contains a novolakepoxy resin.
 4. The adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foilaccording to claim 3, wherein the component (A) has a biphenylstructure.
 5. The adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil accordingto claim 2, wherein the component (B) is crosslinked rubber particles.6. The adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil according to claim 2,wherein the component (B) is at least one substance selected fromacrylonitrile-butadiene rubber particles, carboxylic acid-modifiedacrylonitrile-butadiene rubber particles, and butadiene rubber-acrylicresin core shell particles.
 7. The adhesion assisting agent-bearingmetal foil according to claim 2, wherein the component (B) is added inan amount of 0.5 to 20 parts by weight to the component (A) 100 parts byweight.
 8. The adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil according toclaim 2, wherein the component (C) is a novolak phenol resin.
 9. Theadhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil according to claim 2,wherein the component (C) is a cresol novolak phenol resin having atriazine ring.
 10. The adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foilaccording to claim 2, wherein the surface of the metal foil has aten-point average roughness Rz 2.0 μm or less.
 11. The adhesionassisting agent-bearing metal foil according to claim 1, wherein thesurface of the metal foil is not subjected to roughening treatment forpromotion of the adhesive strength.
 12. The adhesion assistingagent-bearing metal foil according to claims 1, wherein the metal foilis a copper foil subjected to rust preventing treatment with at leastone of zinc, chromium, and nickel.
 13. The adhesion assistingagent-bearing metal foil according to claim 1, wherein the surface ofthe metal foil is subjected to silane coupling treatment with a silanecoupling agent.
 14. The adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foilaccording to claim 13, wherein the silane coupling agent has an epoxygroup or an amino group.
 15. The adhesion assisting agent-bearing metalfoil according to claim 1, wherein the metal foil has a thickness of 5μm or thinner and has a separable carrier.
 16. A printed wiring boardproduced using the adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil accordingto claim 1 and having a peeling strength of 0.6 kN/m or higher at 20° C.between an insulating layer formed through the adhesion assisting agentlayer of the adhesion assisting agent-bearing metal foil and a conductorcircuit with 1 mm width formed using the metal foil of the adhesionassisting agent-bearing metal foil.
 17. The printed wiring boardaccording to claim 16, wherein the peeling strength is 0.4 kN/m orhigher at 20° C. between the insulating layer and the conductor circuitafter heating at 150° C. for 240 hours.
 18. A production method of aprinted wiring board comprising: layering the adhesion assistingagent-bearing metal foil according to claim 15 on an insulating layer insuch a manner that the adhesion assisting agent layer is set in theinsulating layer side; forming holes for interlayer connection; carryingout electroless copper plating; forming a resist layer; forming acircuit by pattern-wise electroplating; and removing the resist layerand unneeded portions of an electric power supply layer by etching. 19.The production method of a printed wiring board according to claim 18,wherein electroless gold plating is carried out in the outermost layerof the wiring.
 20. A printed wiring board being a multilayer wiringboard having a plurality of layers, wherein an adhesion assisting agentlayer is formed between insulating layers.
 21. A printed wiring boardcomprising solder resist in the outermost layer and an adhesionassisting agent layer between an insulating layer and solder resist. 22.The printed wiring board according to claim 20, wherein the thickness ofthe adhesion assisting agent layer is in a range of 0.1 to 10 μm. 23.The printed wiring board according to claim 20, wherein the adhesionassisting agent layer contains an epoxy resin as an indispensablecomponent.
 24. The printed wiring board according to claim 23, whereinthe resin containing an epoxy resin as an indispensable componentcontains (A) an epoxy resin, (B) rubber particles, and (C) an epoxyresin curing agent.
 25. The printed wiring board according to claim 23,wherein the component (A) is a novolak epoxy resin or contains a novolakepoxy resin.
 26. The printed wiring board according to claim 24, whereinthe component (A) has a biphenyl structure.
 27. The printed wiring boardaccording to claim 24, wherein the component (B) is crosslinked rubberparticles.
 28. The printed wiring board according to claim 24, whereinthe component (B) is at least one substance selected fromacrylonitrile-butadiene rubber particles, carboxylic acid-modifiedacrylonitrile-butadiene rubber particles, and butadiene rubber-acrylicresin core shell particles.
 29. The printed wiring board according toclaim 24, wherein the component (B) is added in an amount of 0.5 to 20parts by weight to the component (A) 100 parts by weight.
 30. Theprinted wiring board according to claim 24, wherein the component (C) isa novolak phenol resin.
 31. The printed wiring board according to claim24, wherein the component (C) is a cresol novolak phenol resin having atriazine ring.
 32. The printed wiring board according to claim 20,wherein the adhesion assisting agent layer contains a polyamide imideresin as an indispensable component.
 33. The printed wiring boardaccording to claims 32, wherein the polyamide imide resin is a polyamideimide comprising a saturated hydrocarbon as a unit component.
 34. Theprinted wiring board according to claim 32, wherein a curing componentfor crosslinking the polyamide imide by reaction is added.
 35. Theprinted wiring board according to claim 21, wherein the thickness of theadhesion assisting agent layer is in a range of 0.1 to 10 μm.
 36. Theprinted wiring board according to claim 21, wherein the adhesionassisting agent layer contains an epoxy resin as an indispensablecomponent.
 37. The printed wiring board according to claim 36, whereinthe resin containing an epoxy resin as an indispensable componentcontains (A) an epoxy resin, (B) rubber particles, and (C) an epoxyresin curing agent.
 38. The printed wiring board according to claim 37,wherein the component (A) is a novolak epoxy resin or contains a novolakepoxy resin.
 39. The printed wiring board according to claim 37, whereinthe component (A) has a biphenyl structure.
 40. The printed wiring boardaccording to claim 37, wherein the component (B) is crosslinked rubberparticles.
 41. The printed wiring board according to claim 37, whereinthe component (B) is at least one substance selected fromacrylonitrile-butadiene rubber particles, carboxylic acid-modifiedacrylonitrile-butadiene rubber particles, and butadiene rubber-acrylicresin core shell particles.
 42. The printed wiring board according toclaim 37, wherein the component (B) is added in an amount of 0.5 to 20parts by weight to the component (A) 100 parts by weight.
 43. Theprinted wiring board according to claim 37, wherein the component (C) isa novolak phenol resin.
 44. The printed wiring board according to claim37, wherein the component (C) is a cresol novolak phenol resin having atriazine ring.
 45. The printed wiring board according to claim 21,wherein the adhesion assisting agent layer contains a polyamide imideresin as an indispensable component.
 46. The printed wiring boardaccording to claim 45, wherein the polyamide imide resin is a polyamideimide comprising a saturated hydrocarbon as a unit component.
 47. Theprinted wiring board according to claim 45, wherein a curing componentfor crosslinking the polyamide imide by reaction is added.